r 


A     DISCUSSION 


DRAINAGE  AND  WATER  SUPPLY 


OF    CHICAGO. 


BY    D.    W.    JACKSON 


.  •     •-;•.- 

.     , 
.      .  •  .  >  • 


CHICAGO  : 

RAND,  MCNALLY  &  COMPANY,  PRINTERS. 
1892. 


DEACCESSIONED  BY 

CHFCAGO  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

PRINTED  COLLECTIONS 


COPYRIGHT,  1892,  BY  RAND,  MCNALLY  &  Co. 


v    :  t".  :.  :    :  :-\ 
» 


Introductory. 


The  writer  confesses  to  having  been  one  of  those  who  voted 
for  the  adoption  of  the  Drainage  Act.  He  understood  that  it 
was  approved  by  the  Citizens'  Association,  who  claimed  to  have 
investigated  the  subject — something  must  be  done — the  method 
formulated  by  the  Drainage  Act  was  declared  to  be  the  best, 
and,  indeed,  the  only  attainable  solution  of  the  drainage  question, 
and  there  seemed  virtually  no  alternative.  Vague  suspicions 
arose  in  the  minds  of  many,  after  the  adoption  of  the  act,  and 
the  election  of  drainage  trustees,  that  the  proceeding  was  ill- 
advised,  and  it  was  hoped  that  the  Supreme  Court  would  declare 
the  act  invalid.  In  this,  they  were  disappointed. 

The  attention  of  the  writer  was  first  drawn  to  the  matter,  by 
the  suggestion  as  to  the  vast  amount  of  damages  which  the  city 
would  have  to  pay  annually,  for  flooding  the  bottom  lands  of  the 
Illinois  River  Valley.  It  requires  no  very  great  experience  as  a 
lawyer  to  understand  the  danger,  not  only  of  having  to  pay  large 
amounts  for  damages  actually  sustained,  but  of  a  larger  amount, 
which  would  be  recovered  on  trumped-up  claims,  but  which  local 
juries  would  most  assuredly  find  against  the  city,  and  it  was  this 
apprehension,  that  led  to  this  investigation.  If  the  city  could 
have  settled  the  entire  matter,  once  for  all,  by  building  the  chan- 
nel at  an  expenditure  of  the  fifteen  million  of  dollars  ($15,000,- 
ooo)  provided  for  in  the  Drainage  Act,  while  there  would  have 
been  the  conviction  that  there  might  be  a  cheaper  way,  it  is 
hardly  probable  that  this  attempt  to  investigate  the  subject 
would  have  been  made.  Without  any  previous  study  of  the 
drainage  question,  or  of  the  various  methods  by  which  sewage 
may  be  disposed  of,  and  with  only  the  vague  reports  made  by 
the  engineers  as  a  basis,  the  outlook  for  a  comprehensive  survey 
of  the  matter  was  rather  formidable,  but  no  one  else  seemed 
disposed  to  do  it,  and  as  it  was  something  which  ought  to  be 
done,  the  following  attempt  "was^made — with  what  success  the 
reader  must  judge.  The  work;  was  entered  upon  without  any 
prepossession  for  or  against  any  man,  and  if  any  disapprobation 
appears  in  these  pages  toward  any  person  or  persons,  such  dis- 
approbation arose  from  the  facts.  It  is  not  permissible  to  com- 
pare the  men,  who  by  their  scheming,  their  suppression  of  the 


4  AUTHORITIES    QUOTED. 

truth,  or  their  incapacity,  are  responsible  for  the  passage  of  the 
Drainage  Act,  with  the  county  boodlers  who  were  sent  to  the 
penitentiary,  but,  so  far  as  the  taxpayers  are  concerned,  the 
pilferings  of  the  boodlers  are,  to  the  extravagancies  of  the  Drain- 
age Act,  but  as  the  shadow  to  the  substance. 

In  discussing  the  subject  of  the  disposition  of  sewage, 
extracts  have  been  made  from  a  work  entitled  "  The  Cleaning 
and  Sewerage  of  Cities,"  by  Prof.  R.  Baumeister  of  the 
Technical  Institute  at  Carlsruhe,  Germany,  translated  by  J.  M. 
Goodell,  associate  editor  of  the  Engineering  News,  and  published 
in  1891,  and  it  may  be  said  to  summarize  the  latest  conclusions 
upon  the  subject.  The  writer  has  had  occasion  to  make  some 
strictures  upon  the  Herring  report  (which  bears,  however,  inter- 
nal evidence  of  having  been  chiefly  the  composition  of  L.  E. 
Cooley),  but  Mr.  Herring  is  undoubtedly  competent  to  pronounce 
upon  the  character  of  Baumeister's  work,  to  which  he  has  writ- 
ten an  introduction,  in  which  he  says,  "  The  author,  whose  name 
is  already  familiar  to  a  number  of  American  engineers,  is  well 
versed  in  the  subject,  though  not  a  practicing  engineer.  His 
impartiality,  characteristic  fairness,  and  judicial  temper  have 
fitted  him  to  present  the  subject  matter,  concerning  which  all 
controversy  has  not  yet  ceased,  in  a  more  balanced  and  scientific 
form  than  I  have  seen  in  any  other  book."  To  this  it  may  be 
added  that  to  be  a  "  professor "  in  a  German  Institute  presup- 
poses a  degree  of  learning,  capacity  and  thoroughness,  not 
always  associated  with  the  title  in  this  country;  and  further,  that 
as  teacher  and  writer,  he  is  neither  exploiting  a  theory,  nor 
"  working  a  policy." 

Extracts  from  the  report  of  Capt.  W.  L.  Marshall  of  the 
United  States  Engineer  Corps — located  at  Chicago— and  from 
other  authorities,  will  be  made,  and  to  determine  the  weight  to  be 
given  to  any  man's  opinions,  it  is  necessary  to  know  something  as 
to  who  and  what  he  is. 

Capt.  Marshall  graduated  from  the  United  States  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point,  the  most  thorough  engineering  school 
in  the  United  States,  in  1868.  In  the  years  1870-71,  he  was 
assistant  professor  at  West  Point;  from  1872  to  1876  he  was  in 
charge  of  the  Government  explorations  and  surveys  in  Colorado. 
He  discovered  the  celebrated  pass  which  was  named  after  him, 
and  is  now  known  as  Marshall  Pass.  From  1876  to  1881  he  was 
assistant  engineer  of  the  Government  canals  upon  the  Tennessee 


AUTHORITIES    QUOTED.  5 

and  Coosa  rivers,  in  Alabama.  From  1881  to  1884  he  was  in 
charge  of  the  Government  levee  construction  and  river  improve- 
ments of  the  third  district,  upon  the  lower  Mississippi.  From 
1884  to  the  present  time  he  has  been  in  charge  of  the  Govern- 
ment works  upon  the  Fox,  Wisconsin,  Illinois  and  Chicago  rivers, 
the  Hennepin  canal,  and  the  harbor  of  Chicago.  From  $500,000 
to  $2,250,000  annually,  have  for  several  years  past  been  ex- 
pended by  the  Government  under  his  direction.  It  will  thus  be 
seen  that  he  has  steadily  advanced  in  his  career,  and  it  may  be 
assumed  that  his  opinions  are  as  valuable  as  any  that  can  be  ob- 
tained upon  engineering  matters  within  his  cognizance. 

W.  Santo  Crimp — from  whose  work  upon  "  Sewage  Disposal 
Works,"  published  in  London  in  1890,  and  republished  in  this 
country,  extensive  citations  are  made — is  a  practical  sanitary  en- 
gineer of  recognized  standing  and  ability  in  England. 

Dr.  C.  M.  Tidy,  from  whom  a  forcible  utterance  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  the  self  purification  of  rivers  is  quoted,  is  also  a  man  of 
large  experience  and  authority  in  sanitary  matters. 

Mr.  Charles  A.  Allen  is  the  engineer  of  the  city  of  Worcester, 
Mass.  He  was  sent  to  Europe  by  the  city  in  1884,  and  examined 
the  various  systems  of  sewage  disposal  there,  and  the  precipitat- 
ing works  at  Worcester  were  erected  under  his  direction.  His 
report,  published  in  1887,  bears  abundant  evidence  of  the  thorough- 
ness and  intelligence  of  his  investigations. 

In  undertaking  an  investigation  in  what  was,  to  the  writer,  a 
new  and  untrodden  field,  he  was  necessarily  dependent  upon  liv- 
ing authorities  for  a  great  deal  of  information,  and  he  wishes  to 
express  in  the  most  unqualified  manner  his  obligations  to  Capt. 
W.  L.  Marshall,  S.  G.  Artingstall,  former  engineer  of  the 
Drainage  Board,  and  L.  H.  Clark,  city  engineer  of  Chicago,  and 
to  Charles  A.  Allen,  city  engineer  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  to 
Edgar  Williams,  who  was  employed  by  the  Drainage  Board  while 
Mr.  Cooley  was  chief  engineer,  and  who  alone,  of  the  assistant 
engineers,  remained  faithful  to  his  employers  after  the  discharge 
of  Mr.  Cooley. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  to  the  assistance  of  these 
gentlemen,  always  courteously  rendered,  the  following  discussion 
owes  very  much  of  whatever  value  it  may  possess. 

Messrs.  Greeley,  Carlson  &  Co.,  and  many  others  rendered  wel- 
come aid;  it  was  understood  by  all  that  the  matter  was  one  of 
public  interest,  and  they  seemed  anxious  to  further  the  inquiry. 


6  LENGTH     OF     TREATISE. 

Some  readers  may  find  the  extracts  tedious.  They  must  re- 
member that  the  writer  has  no  pretensions  to  speak  with  authority, 
and  he  can  only  quote  the  words  of  those  who  are  conceded  to 
have  such  pretensions.  The  dispatches  from  Ottawa,  Peoria,  and 
elsewhere,  which  are  copied  at  length,  as  to  the  effects  of  the 
floods  of  May  and  June,  1892,  are  the  testimonies  of  living  wit- 
nesses, and  are  certainly  more  satisfactory  than  the  summary  of 
their  contents  could  be. 

The  liability  of  the  city  of  Chicago  for  such  damages  as  are 
there  described,  is  one  of  the  most  serious  objections  to  the  Drain- 
age Act,  and  those  dispatches  should  be  read  carefully,  even  though 
it  be  a  "twice  told  tale."  The  accounts  of  floods  down  the  river 
will  be  more  interesting  to  Chicago  people,  when  they  shall  have 
to  pay  the  damages. 

The  idea  that  it  should  all  be  charged  to  the  drainage  works 
seems  ridiculous,  but  they  will  be  a  contributing  factor,  and  it 
will  be  fora  jury  to  decide  whether  Chicago  is  liable  or  not. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  said,  that  while  the  treatise  may 
appear  too  lengthy,  there  seems  no  place  where  it  could  be  mate- 
rially abbreviated.  One  of  the  longest  topics,  that  of  the  efforts 
made  by  the  old  Drainage  Board  to  carry  out  the  law,  was  neces- 
sary on  account  of  the  unjust  clamor  against  them,  and  to  put  the 
record  of  Mr.  Cooley  clearly  before  the  public. 

Not  a  little  of  the  descriptive  matter,  as  of  Chicago  River,  etc., 
is  a  re-statement  of  what  is  generally  known,  but  in  the  first  place 
it  was  necessary  to  state  these  matters  in  order  to  give  a  com- 
plete presentation  of  the  subject;  and 

Secondly,  in  the  rapid  growth  of  the  city  there  is  a  continual 
influx  of  those  to  whom  these  matters  are  not  familiar;  and 

Further,  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  is  much  harder  to 
undo  the  wx>rk  done,  much  harder  to  repeal  the  law,  than  it  would 
be  to  discuss  the  subject  as  an  open  question. 

Time  and  again  it  has  been  said  to  the  writer  by  members  of 
the  Legislature  from  Chicago,  who  voted  for  the  Drainage  Act,  that 
it  was  the  best  that  could  be  done  in  the  Legislature.  This  can 
not  be  true.  In  the  first  place,  the  men  who  said  this  wanted 
nothing  different.  They  were  satisfied  that  a  great  water-way 
was  a  glorious  thing,  when,  in  fact,  they  knew  nothing  about  it, 
and  those  members  who  were  on  the  commission  of  1887  took 
no  steps  to  inform  themselves  about  anything  connected  with  the 
drainage  of  Chicago.  It  can  not  be  true,  because  it  is  not  the 


ILLINOIS    WILL     DO    JUSTICE.  7 

best  thing;  and  it  may  be  confidently  assumed  that  the  people  of 
the  State  of  Illinois  would  have  been  glad  to  do  for  Chicago  the 
very  best  thing  that  could  have  been  done.  It  is  not  true  that  the 
prejudices  or  grasping  desires  of  the  people  down  the  river  will  be 
allowed  to  control  the  action  of  the  State.  The  people  of  theStateof 
Illinois  recognize  the  fact  that  Chicago  is  not  made  up  of  million- 
aires, and  that  its  population  of  one  million  three  hundred  thou- 
sand souls,  is,  in  the  main,  a  hard-working,  active,  energetic  people; 
and  that,  if  Chicago  has  grown  beyond  any  other  city  in  the 
world,  it  is  due  to  the  energy,  comprehension,  and  good  judgment 
of  those  who  conduct  its  great  commercial  and  manufacturing 
interests. 

The  people  of  Illinois  are  proud  of  Chicago — proud  of  its 
past,  proud  of  its  present,  proud  of  its  future,  in  which,  at  no 
remote  date,  they  expect  to  see  not  the  second,  but  the  first  city, 
of  our  great  Republic.  They  will  treat  the  sanitary  wants  of  the 
city  in  a  broad,  generous,  and  comprehensive  manner,  and  if  it  is 
shown  that  the  Drainage  Act  threatens  to  impose  unnecessary 
and  grievous  burdens  upon  its  people,  they  will  rejoice  in  the 
opportunity  of'  making  the  necessary  changes  in  its  provisions. 

In  the  following  pages  an  effort  has  been  made  to  point  out 
the  errors  in  the  law  as  a  Drainage  Law,  as  even  a  law  for  the 
creation  of  a  water-way,  and  to  outline  a  system  which  will 
accomplish  all  that  can  be  desired,  at  one-fourth  to  one-tenth  the 
expense  which  the  present  Drainage  Act  will  require.  It  may 
safely  be  affirmed,  that  the  drainage  question  can  be  disposed 
of  by  the  city  of  Chicago  for  less  than  $4,000,000,  and 
within  one  year  from  the  time  when  the  necessary  financial 
legislation  shall  have  been  perfected.  As  matters  now  stand, 
however,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  people  of  the  State 
will  take  the  initiative.  Chicago  must  speak  first  in  a  matter 
vastly  more  important  than  the  holding  of  national  conventions, 
than  presidential  elections,  than  Columbian  Expositions.  It  is 
needful  that  the  people  speak  out,  and  in  no  uncertain  tones. 
Let  it  go  forth  that  no  man  can  go  to  the  Legislature  who  is  not 
only  pledged,  but  who  is  heart  and  soul  devoted,  to  the  repeal 
of  the  Drainage  Act,  and  the  work  will  be  done. 

If  the  views  of  the  writer  are  correct,  as  expressed  in  the  fol- 
lowing pages,  it  will  be  done — these  views  must  stand  or  fall  on 
their  own  merits. 

Chicago   August,  1892. 


STREET 


i  .    37TH 


138TH 


The   Drainage  and   Water   Supply 
of  Chicago. 


Nothing  need  be  said  as  to  the  vital  importance,  or  of  the 
pressing  necessity,  that  some  rational  system  shall  be  devised  to 
remedy  existing  evils,  both  as  to  the  water  supply  and  drainage 
of  the  city.  There  are  probably  those  who  will  declare  that  it  is 
only  necessary  to  carry  out  laws  now  upon  the  statute  book,  in 
order  that  the  city  may  secure  these  results  to  the  fullest  extent, 
and  in  the  best  possible  way,  but  if  there  are  such,  there  are  very 
many  others  who  believe  that  the  Drainage  Act  of  1889  can  not 
be  executed;  that  it  would  not  answer  the  purpose  even  if 
executed,  and  that  its  execution,  even  if  possible,  would  impose 
a  grievous  burden  of  taxation,  and  one  wholly  unnecessary.  It 
is  now  six  years  since  the  first  attempt  was  made  to  solve  the 
question.  The  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  Chicago  in 
January,  1886,  authorized  the  Mayor  to  employ  competent  engi- 
neers, at  the  expense  of  thirty  thousand  ($30,000)  dollars,  to  solve 
the  question.  Sixty-five  thousand  ($65,000)  dollars  was  spent  by 
the  city,  and  nearly  five  hundred  thousand  ($500,000)  dollars  has 
been  spent  by  the  Drainage  Commissioners,  and  practically  we  are 
no  nearer  a  result,  nor  have  we  much  more  knowledge  than  we 
had  in  1890,  when  Capt.  Marshall,  who  surveyed  the  route  under 
the  orders  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  made  his  report. 

It  is  proposed,  in  the  following  pages,  to  make  a  plain  state- 
ment of  the  situation,  and  offer  some  suggestions  as  to  the  remedy. 
To  this  end,  it  will  be  well  enough  to  first  outline  the  various 
factors  which  enter  into  the  question. 

BOUNDARIES    OF    THE    CITY. 

The  lines  on  all  sides  are  irregular,  but  it  is  correct  enough 
for  all  practical  purposes,  to  say  that  the  north  line  of  the  city  is 
about  7^-  miles  north  of  the  court  house,  the  south  line  is  about 
i6£  miles  from  the  court  house,  and  the  west  line  is  about  7 

(B) 


10  THE   SOURCES   OF    WATER    CONTAMINATION. 

miles  west  of  the  court  house,  and  that  these  boundaries  comprise 
an  area  of  180  square  miles  of  territory. 

The  population  of  the  city,  by  the  census  of  1890,  was 
1,099,850,  and  may  now  be  estimated  at  1,300,000.  The  bounda- 
ries of  the  city  and  of  the  drainage  district,  as  established  under 
the  law,  are  substantially  the  same. 

THE    WATER    SUPPLY    AND    ITS   CONTAMINATION. 

As  is  well  known,  the  water  supply  is  taken  from  Lake 
Michigan.  It  is  inexhaustible  in  quantity,  and  of  the  best  quality, 
provided  it  is  not  contaminated  by  the  sewage  of  the  city.  There 
is  a  general  notion  that  the  lake  is  polluted  by  water  flowing  out 
of  Chicago  River — this  is  true  only  in  time  of  flood;  ordinarily 
there  is  a  slight  current  from  the  lake  into  the  river.  That  the 
causes  of  contamination  of  the  lake  may  be  understood,  it  is 
necessary  to  explain  the  existing  system  of  sewers.  Briefly,  it  is  as 
follows:  The  sewage  from  all  that  portion  of  the  city  bounded 
north  by  Congress  Street,  south  by  Sixty-seventh  Street  (about 
the  south  line  of  Jackson  Park),  and  west  by  Clark  Street,  is 
discharged  into  the  lake  through  trunk  sewers  located,  one  at 
Twelfth  Street,  one  at  Twenty-second  Street,  one  at  Thirty-fifth 
Street,  and  two  or  more  in  Hyde  Park.  The  sewage  from  the 
east  half  of  the  town  of  Lake  View  also  empties  into  the  lake. 
The  sewage  from  the  remainder  of  the  city  is  discharged  into  the 
various  branches,  or  into  the  main  stem  of  the  river.  There 
were  at  the  close  of  the  year  1891  over  880  miles  of  sewers  in 
the  city,  costing  more  than  $12,000,000. 

Of  the  population  of  the  city,  about  300,000  live  in  districts, 
the  sewage  from  which  drains  into  the  lake;  about  950,000  live 
in  the  districts  draining  into  the  river,  and  there  are  supposed  to 
be  50,000  living  in  localities  having  no  sewer  connection  with 
either  lake  or  river. 

The  intakes  to  the  tunnels  are  so  far  from  the  outlets  of  the 
sewers  emptying  into  the  lake,  that  in  ordinary  weather  their  dis- 
charge has  no  material  effect  upon  the  water  supply  of  the  city; 
a  portion  of  the  output  sinks  to  the  bottom  near  their  respective 
outlets,  and  the  remainder  is  dissolved,  and  the  impurities  con- 
sumed by  the  oxygen  of  the  pure  water. 

The  great  body  of  the  sewage,  as  already  stated,  flows  into 
the  river;  the  current  is  very  slight,  and  there  are  large  deposits 
from  this  sewage  upon  the  bottom  of  the  river;  dredging  is  con- 


THE    SOURCES    OF    WATER    CONTAMINATION.  11 

stantly  going  on  to  keep  the  channel  open,  and  scows  laden  with 
the  matter  are  towed  out,  and  their  contents  dumped  into  the 
lake  a  few  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  From  the  report 
of  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Works  for  1891,  it  appears  that 
more  than  240,000  cubic  yards  of  dredged  material  were  taken 
from  the  river  in  1891  by  the  city.  The  report  for  1890  shows  that 
about  $69,000  was  expended  for  this  purpose  during  that  year. 
Large  sums  are  also  expended  by  private  parties  for  the  same 
purpose.  It  is  said  that  other  refuse  is  disposed  of  in  the  same 
way.  The  water  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  is  also  contaminated 
by  rubbish  thrown  into  it  along  the  banks.  A  violent  wind 
arises,  the  output  of  the  sewers,  the  deposits  near  their  openings, 
and  the  filth  deposited  in  the  lake  by  scows,  or  along  the  shores 
as  above  stated,  is  churned  up,  and  the  lake  for  miles  around 
is  affected.  This  is  the  usual  source  of  contamination  to  our 
water  supply. 

The  Des  Plaines  River,  having  its  source  in  Wisconsin,  flows 
southerly  and  passes  about  two  miles  west  of  the  upper  end  of 
the  south  fork.  At  that  point,  its  level  at  low  water  is  eight  feet 
above  low  water  level  of  the  lake.  The  ground  intervening 
between  the  Des  Plaines  River  and  the  end  of  the  south  fork  is 
low  and  swampy,  a  part  of  it  so  low  as  to  be  called  Mud  Lake. 

Some  years  since,  Messrs.  William  B.  Ogden  and  John  Went- 
worth  opened  a  trench  through  the  bank  of  the  Des  Plaines,  and 
dug  a  ditch  through  the  low  lands  to  the  west  fork,  the  con- 
sequence of  which  was,  that  the  waters  of  the  Des  Plaines  were 
diverted,  and  carried  down  into  Chicago  River.  Subsequently, 
the  city  erected  a  dam  at  this  point,  and  restored  the  bank  to  its 
original  height.  There  is,  however,  a  depression  in  the  bank  at 
this  point,  and  when  swollen  by  the  spring  floods,  or  very  heavy 
rains,  the  waters  of  the  Des  Plaines  pour  over  this  dam,  and  sweep 
down  through  the  ditch  into  Chicago  River,  washing  out  into  the 
lake  the  contents  of  the  river  and  the  various  slips,  with  their 
accumulated  deposits  of  sludge.  What  the  condition  of  the  lake 
is  at  such  times  need  not  be  described. 

A  portion  of  this  wash  is  probably  deposited  on  the  bottom 
of  the  lake,  and  contributes  to  make  the  water  unfit  to  use  when 
it  is  agitated  by  high  winds.  If  the  sewage  deposits  were  all  kept 
from  the  lake,  the  water  would  at  such  times  be  roily  from  the 
sand  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  but  that  is  clean  and  would 
speedily  settle. 


12  THE    QUANTITY    OF    SEWAGE. 

THE   QUANTITY  OF   SEWAGE. 

The  quantity  of  sewage  is  necessarily  limited  to  two  sources, 
viz.,  the  water  pumped,  and  the  rainfall.  In  the  absence  of 
measurements  only  a  general  estimate  of  the  quantity  of  sewage 
is  practicable.  The  quantity  of  water  pumped  is  susceptible  of  a 
sufficiently  close  estimate,  but  the  quantity  which  finds  its  way 
into  the  sewers  is  necessarily  conjectural. 

The  quantity  of  water  pumped  during  the  year  1891,  was 
more  than  sixty-three  billions  five  hundred  and  fifty-one  millions 
of  gallons. 

In  figures. 63,551,000,000  gal.lons. 

Daily  average  for  the  city 1 74 ,000,000        " 

Average  per  capita,  daily,  (popula- 
tion  1,300,000) 134        " 

This  includes  all  the  water  used  by  the  fire  department,  all 
used  for  manufacturing  and  building  purposes,  the  supply  of 
several  thousand  steam  boilers,  that  used  for  street  and  lawn 
sprinkling,  as  well  as  that  for  domestic  consumption. 

A  great  deal  of  the  water  used  by  the  fire  department  and  in 
manufacturing  finds  its  way  eventually  into  the  sewers,  but  it  is 
fair  to  suppose  that  one-tenth  of  the  average  daily  supply  of 
water  pumped  and  distributed  through  the  mains,  disappears  by 
evaporation,  from  use  at  fires,  from  steam  boilers,  street  and  lawn 
sprinkling,  building  purposes,  in  domestic  use,  and  water  sup- 
plied to  territory  not  sewered,  and  which  does  not  reach  the 
sewers. 

Average  daily  supply  (in  gallons) 174,000,000 

One-tenth  evaporated 1 7,000,000 


Average  daily  sewage ..15  7,000,000  gals. 

With  a  population  of  1,300,000,  this  would  be  a  daily  sewage 
per  capita,  of  about  121  gallons. 

With  reference  to  the  use  of  water  in  European  cities,  Mr. 
Herring,  in  his  introduction  to  the  work  of  Baumeister,  writes  as 
follows: 

"  It  is  asserted  that  the  German  practice  in  designing  water- 
"  works  is  to  allow  forty  gallons  per  head  per  day.  In  America 


NOTE. — No  one  can  form  any  estimate  of  the  quantity  of  water  pumped 
from  reading  the  figures.  The  quantity  of  water  will  be  better  comprehended, 
perhaps,  to  say  it  is  more  than  enough  to  fill  a  lake  seven  miles  long,  two  miles 
wide,  and  twenty  feet  deep. 


SEWAGE    OF    EUROPEAN    CITIES.  13 

"  the  water  consumption  is  much  greater,  and  also  varies  in 
"  different  cities,  reaching  in  some  cities  more  than  three  times 
"  that  amount." 

Baumeister  says,  page  9: 

"  From  tables  prepared  by  Grahn  and  Thiem,  it  is  certain 
"  that  the  consumption  of  water  in  German  cities  has  a  daily 
"  average  for  the  year  of  from  four  to  fifty-eight  gallons  per  per- 
"son — generally  from  6^  to  thirty-seven  gallons.  The  larger 
"  figures  that  are  sometimes  found,  especially  in  America,  are  due 
"to  wasteful  habits.  In  designing  water-works,  the  present 
"  German  practice  is  to  allow  forty  gallons  per  day  per  person. 
"  In  England,  thirty-four  gallons  are  taken  as  the  basis,  in 
11  designing  water-carriage  sewage  systems. 

"  The  system  used  in  Berlin  offers  special  advantages  for  the 
"  determination  of  the  difference  in  water  consumption  among 
"  different  classes  of  people.  The  sewage  pumped  from  a  thickly 
"  populated,  but  poor  district,  averaged,  according  to  the  1887-88 
"report  of  the  commission,  21-^  gallons  per  head  per  day;  in 
"  districts  with  a  larger  street  surface,  and  somewhat  higher  class 
"of  residents,  26^  gallons  per  head  per  day;  in  manufacturing 
"  districts  thirty-seven  gallons;  in  the  most  fashionable  districts, 
"  44^  gallons.  The  average  of  all  the  districts  was  a  little  over 
"twenty-six  gallons." 

Baumeister  gives  a  table  at  page  21,  from  which  it  appears 
that  the  average  daily  sewage  in  certain  European  cities  is  as 
follows: 
1 6  English  cities,  not  named,  6.36  cubic  feet  or  about  51  gallons. 

London 7.06  cubic  feet  or     56^      " 

Berlin 3.53         "         "     28        " 

Paris 5.30  "     42^      " 

The  daily  average  in  Chicago  for  each  person,  we  have  seen, 
is  121  gallons. 

THE    RAINFALL. 

The  contribution  from  the  rainfall  in  Chicago  is  a  more  uncer- 
tain quantity.  The  average  annual  rainfall  in  Chicago  for  the 
past  twenty  years  has  been  about  thirty-six  inches.  The  average 
number  of  rainy  days  annually  during  that  period,  when  some- 
thing more  than  a  trace  of  moisture  existed,  was  130.  Divided 
by  seasons,  the  annual  average  precipitation  for  spring  and  fall, 
each,  has  been  something  over  nine  inches,  for  summer  over  ten 
inches,  and  for  winter  over  six  inches.  The  quantity  of  rainfall 


14  AMOUNT    OF    RAINFALL    SEWAGE. 

that  finds  its  way  into  the  sewers  of  a  given  area  depends  largely 
upon  whether  the  rain  is  violent  or  slow  and  drizzling,  upon  the 
flatness  of  the  surface,  whether  the  ground  is  already  soaked,  and 
upon  the  proportion  of  water-proof  surface,  such  as  roofs,  paved 
streets,  sidewalks,  etc.,  to  the  open  ground. 

Baumeister,  page  17,  says: 

"  According  to  Knauff,  the  maximum  quantity  of  storm  water 
"  is  from  50  to  70  per  cent,  from  paved  streets,  and  from  40  to  50 
"  per  cent,  from  flat  roofs." 

This  estimate  is  made  with  reference  to  the  size  of  the  sewers 
necessary.  From  the  fact  that  the  percentage  of  water  from 
paved  streets  is  given  as  greater  than  that  from  flat  roofs,  it  would 
seem  that  the  computation  is  made  from  cities  where  the  flow 
from  streets  is  more  rapid,  on  account  of  being  at  a  greater 
declivity. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  streets  of  Chicago  are  about 
as  level  as  can  be  made.  Further,  it  is  only  upon  occasions  of 
storms  of  unusual  violence  and  duration  that  there  will  be  any 
wash  from  macadamized  streets,  and  the  same  may  be  said,  though 
in  a  less  degree,  as  to  street  wash  from  streets  paved  with  blocks, 
either  of  wood  or  stone.  Any  one  who  will  take  the  pains  to 
observe,  will  see  that  a  current  along  the  gutters  is  a  very  unusual 
occurrence  in  Chicago.  November  8  and  9, 1891,  were  very  rainy 
days — 1.6  inches  of  water  fell,  about  one-half  on  each  day — but 
the  rain  was  steady  and  without  violence,  and  there  was  little  or 
no  current  in  the  gutters. 

The  total  rainfall  in  Chicago  from  Sunday  evening,  May  i, 
to  the  morning  of  May  5,  1892,  as  observed  at  the  signal  office, 
was  three  inches.  As  is  well  known,  the  effect  of  those  rains  was 
to  cause  a  great  rise  in  the  rivers  of  Northern  Illinois.  Mr.  Franken- 
feld,  chief  of  the  signal  station  in  Chicago,  had  been  requested 
to  observe  the  effect  of  rain  upon  the  gutters  of  paved  streets, 
and  he  says  that  the  fall  of  six-tenths  of  an  inch  in  an  hour  and 
a  half,  on  the  evening  of  May  ist,  produced  but  slight  effect  in 
tbe  way  of  street  wash — after  the  streets  had  been  soaked,  of 
course  the  water  ran  off.  As  has  been  stated,  the  average  num- 
ber of  rainy  days  (including  snow)  per  year,  for  the  past  twenty 
years,  has  been  130;  the  average  rainfall,  thirty-six  inches;  and 
the  greatest  amount,  viz.,  ten  inches,  has  fallen  during  the  sum- 
mer months,  when  storms  are  less  frequent  but  more  violent. 

From  the  records  of  the  signal  station  in  Chicago,  it  appears 


AMOUNT    OF    RAINFALL   SEWAGE.  15 

that  there  have  been  twenty-eight  cases  of  excessive  rainfall  in 
Chicago  within  the  past  twenty  years,  occurring  as  follows: 

January,  none;  February,  none;  March,  one;  April,  none; 
May,  four;  June,  eight,  July,  six;  August,  two;  September,  three; 
October,  one;  November,  two;  December,  one. 

This  record  does  not  include  storms  of  long  continuance 
which  were  not  violent,  but  it  is  the  violent  storms  which  create 
the  greater  portion  of  the  street  wash.  There  are  times  when 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  water  from  roofs  and  streets  entering  the 
sewers,  even  overtaxing  them,  especially  in  the  closely  built  busi- 
ness portions  of  the  city.  It  is  doubtful  whether  storm  water 
has  any  considerable  effect,  as  a  source  of  pollution,  upon  the 
sewage  of  the  city.  It  appears  from  the  record  of  the  weather 
bureau  in  Chicago,  that  the  average  number  of  days  in  each 
year,  for  the  past  twenty  years,  when  the  rainfall  exceeded 
one-fourth  of  an  inch,  was  forty-two. 

Upon  the  subject  of  storm  waters,  Mr.  Crimp  says,  "  It  was 
"  found  from  the  records  of  rainfall  that  there  were  only  from 
"fourteen  to  twenty  one  days  in  each  year,  on  the  average,  when 
"  the  daily  fall  exceeded  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  and  in  this  con- 
"  nection  Sir  J.  Bazalgette,  in  his  testimony  before  the  Royal 
"Commission  on  Metropolitan  (London)  sewage  discharge  said, 
"  if  we  can  divert  the  sewage  from  the  river  in  dry  weather  alto- 
"  gether,  on  all  those  days  excepting  the  fourteen  to  twenty-one, 
"  according  to  the  season  (a  very  wet  season  has  been  thirty  days), 
"  we  shall  sufficiently  divert  the  sewage  from  the  river  to  make  it 
"clear." 

CHARACTER   OF   THE   SEWAGE. 

Mr.  Benzette  Williams,  the  present  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Drainage  Commission,  in  a  carefully  prepared  paper  read  by  him 
on  May  5,  1891,  before  the  Joint  Committee  of  the  Senate  and 
House,  in  opposition  to  amending  the  Drainage  Act,  stated  that 
"  Chicago  is  the  greatest  filth-producer  in  the  world."  This  is  cer- 
tainly an  offensive  form  of  statement.  To  have  said  that  the  out- 
put of  the  stock  yards  was  a  greater  source  of  pollution  than  any 
industry  carried  on  in  any  other  city,  would  have  been  true  and 
unobjectionable.  As  put  by  Mr.  Williams,  the  statement  is  to  the 
effect  that  the  wash  from  the  people  of  Chicago  is  drrtrer  than 
that  of  the  people  of  any  ether  city.  By  far  the  greater  portion 
of  the  sewage  of  Chicago  is  household  or  domestic  sewage,  and 


It!  CHARACTER  OK  CHICAGO  SEWAGE. 

it  is  difficult  to  see  how  ordinary  domestic  sewage  can  vary  in 
character,  except  in  the  matter  in  dilution.  Household  sewage 
must  be  substantially  the  same  in  all  civilized  nations,  except  as 
it  is  flushed  with  a  greater  or  less  quantity  of  water,  and  it  can 
not  be  questioned  that  the  household  sewage  of  Chicago  is  di- 
luted with  nearly  three  times  the  quantity  of  clear  water  more 
than  that  of  any  European  city.  If  the  aggregate  of  the  sewage 
is  so  heavily  charged  with  filth,  it  must  be  from  sources  other 
than  Chicago  homes. 

The  ordinary  sources  of  such  other  pollution  are  chemical 
works,  sugar  refineries,  distilleries,  breweries,  tanneries,  shoe  fac- 
tories, printing  establishments,  and  street  wash.  These  are  called 
ordinary  sources  of  pollution,  because  establishments  much  of 
the  same  general  character  are  found  in  all  large  cities,  and 
street  wash  is  common  to  all,  with  probably  a  much  less  percent- 
age in  Chicago  than  elsewhere. 

Mr.  Williams  produced  an  array  of  statistics  as  to  chemical 
analyses  of  Chicago  River  water.  It  was  scarcely  necessary  to 
analyze  the  waters  of  Chicago  River  in  order  to  establish  the  fact 
that  it  is  greatly  polluted.  In  fact,  the  chemical  argument  had  no 
rational  deduction;  it  was  thrown  in  as  a  sort  of  embellishment 
to  the  objector,  to  give  him,  for  instance,  the  appearance  of  a 
man  of  great  scientific  knowledge. 

There  is  doubtless  an  extraordinary  source  of  pollution  to  the 
sewage  of  Chicago  in  the  output  of  the  packing  houses,  under 
which  is  included  the  kindred  industries  of  fertilizing  works,  glue 
factories,  etc.,  and  the  wash  from  the  cattle  pens;  as  also,  it  is  said, 
there  is  a  liberal  contribution  from  the  gas  works. 

The  greatest  source  of  pollution  to  the  sewage  of  Chicago  is 
undoubtedly  from  the  stock  yards.  As  indicating  something  of 
that  contribution,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  during  the  year  1891 
there  were  slaughtered  there,  more  than  2,000,000  head  of  cattle, 
5,500,000  of  hogs,  1,500,000  of  sheep,  and  200,000  calves.  With 
all  the  appliances  for  utilizing  the  blood,  bones,  etc.,  of  this  im- 
mense number  of  animals,  it  is  obvious  that  the  contribution  to 
the  sewage  must  be  enormous.  Added  to  this  must  be  the  wash 
from  the  yards — besides  the  number  of  animals  killed  there,  one- 
half  as  many  more  were  shipped  alive,  and  the  quantity  of  pollu- 
tion from  this  source  must  be  very  great. 

Aside  from  the  output  of  the  stock  yards  and  the  gas  works, 


GEN.  JOriN  C.  SMiTH, 
65  Siblcy  S*.  Chicago. 

SEWAGE    FROM    THE    STOCK    YARDS.  17 

the  sewage  of  Chicago  is  probably  less  corrupt  than  that  of  any 
European  city. 

I.  Because  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  in  those  older  cities  there 
are  proportionately  a  greater  number  of  chemical  works  and  other 
industries,  the  wash  from  which  affects  the  sewage,  than  in  Chi- 
cago. 

II.  From  the  greater  use  of  water  the  sewage  is  more  diluted. 

III.  The  street  wash  is  probably  much  less  in  quantity. 
Whether  the  output  from  the  yards  is,  as  has  been  estimated, 

a  good  third  of  the  polluting  element  of  the  river,  or,  in  the  con- 
dition in  which  it  reaches  the  west  fork  of  the  South  Branch,  it 
amounts  to  a  good  half,  need  not  be  determined.  As  will  be  seen 
further  on,  the  sewage  from  the  stock  yards  becomes  putrid  be- 
fore it  reaches  the  pumps  at  Bridgeport.  It  is  well  known  that 
putrid  sewage  is  not  only  more  offensive,  but  it  is  less  affected  by 
the  purifying  influences  of  fresh  air  and  fresh  water  than  is  fresh 
sewage. 

As  to  the  gas  works,  there  is  not  now,  and  never  was,  any  ex- 
cuse for  allowing  this  refuse  to  be  turned  into  the  river. 

The  disposition  of  the  sewage  from  the  stock  yards  will  be 
considered  in  another  connection. 

A  few  words  may  not  be  out  of  place  here  as  to  some  of 
the  elements  of  sewage. 

On  page  2 1  of  Ban  meister  is  given  a  table  of  the  analyses  of  the 
sewage  of  Berlin  and  eight  other  German  cities,  of  Paris,  of  Lon- 
don, and  of  the  average  of  sixteen  other  English  cities.  In  some  of 
these  cities  excrementitious  matter  does  not  enter  the  sewage, 
and  it  is  with  reference  to  this  table  that  he  says,  at  page  22,  "  The 
"  figures  in  the  last  column  are  of  especial  value,  as  proving  the 
"  statement  sometimes  met  with,  that  the  actual  effect  of  excre- 
"  ment  in  sewage  is  less  than  that  determined  on  theoretical 
"  grounds.  Both  the  English  and  Prussian  government  engi- 
"  neers  have  long  held  this  view." 

At  page  1 1 2,  he  says,  "  The  question  as  to  whether  sewage  may 
"be  directly  discharged  into  public  water-courses,  or  must  first 
"be  more  or  less  purified,  is  still  a  matter  of  debate  in  both  sci- 
"entific  and  official  circles.  It  has  already  been  shown  that  the 
"  presence  or  absence  of  excrement  does  not  materially  affect 
"the  character  of  sewage.  The  actual  presence  of  such  matter 
"does  not  product  the  effect  which  theory  apparently  points  out 


18  EFFECT    OF    EXCREMENTITIOUS    MATTER. 

"as  probable.  From  a  chemical  point  of  view,  the  elements  and 
"products  of  disassociation  of  excrement  (that  is,  of  sewage  where 
"such  matter  is  not  allowed)  are  identical  with  those  of  the  re- 
"maining  organic  substances  in  house  and  industrial  sewage. 
"Moreover,  the  quantity  of  sewage  does  not  depend  to  any  ex- 
"tentupon  the  method  in  which  excrement  is  removed.  Hence, 
"  regulations  concerning  the  disposal  of  sewage  should  perhaps 
"apply  to  all  classes,  and  be  based  only  on  the  proportions  of 
"nitrogen,  chlorine,  and  other  elements  present." 

The  River  Pollution  Commissioners  of  England  say  in  their 
report,  after  a  table  of  the  analysis  of  the  sewage  of  water-closet 
towns  and  midden  towns  (towns  where  excrement  is  gathered  and 
deposited  in  pits),  "  These  analytical  numbers  show  a  remarkable 
"similarity  of  composition  between  the  sewage  of  midden  towns 
"and  that  of  water-closet  towns.  It  seems  hopeless  therefore 
"to  anticipate  any  substantial  reduction  of  sewage  pollution  by 
"dealing  with  solid  excrementitious  matter  only." 

It  may  be  added  that  the  principal  discussion  of  this  question 
in  scientific  circles  has  been  as  to  whether  complete  sewage  can 
ever  be  sufficiently  diluted  and  purified  so  as  to  be  available  for 
drinking  purposes  or,  as  it  is  called,  potable  water.  That  ques- 
tion is  not  material  to  the  present  discussion.  No  one  claims  that 
the  Des  Plaines,  below  Joliet,  or  the  Illinois  River  would  be  avail- 
able, or  is  desired,  for  domestic  use;  except  for  the  short  distance 
between  Lockport  and  Joliet  Lake,  they  are  sluggish  streams, 
and  the  water  turbid  and  heavily  charged  with  organic  matter, 
and  would  be  so  if  no  such  place  as  Chicago  existed. 


CHICAGO    RIVER. 


To  understand  the  sewage  question,  some  little  description 
of  the  river  is  necessary. 

The  main  stem  is  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  length, 
extending  from  the  lake  westward  to  the  foot  of  East  Lake  Street, 
with  an  average  width  of  about  300  feet.  Thence,  it  branches 
nearly  at  right  angles  north  and  south.  The  North  Branch  has 
a  course  from  the  main  stem  generally  west  of  due  north,  and  is 
navigable  for  about  five  miles.  At  Fullerton  Avenue,  which  is 
about  four  miles  from  Lake  Street,  the  city  has  erected  pumping 
works,  with  a  capacity  of  about  13,000  cubic  feet  per  minute,  by 
which  water  is  pumped  from  the  lake  through  a  conduit  into  the 
river.  Sewers  on  both  sides  discharge  into  this  branch  of  the 
river,  from  the  fork  at  East  Lake  Street  to  about  one  mile  above 
Fullerton  Avenue. 

The  South  Branch  extends  from  the  main  stem,  in  a  general 
course  west  of  south,  for  a  distance  of  about  4^  miles,  when  it 
divides  into  what  are  generally  known  as  the  east  and  west 
forks;  between  the  forks  and  the  main  stem  at  Lake  Street,  it 
varies  in  width  from  ninety-five  feet  at  the  Adams  Street  bridge, 
to  170  feet  just  above  Lake  Street,  and  in  depth  from  eleven  to 
fifteen  feet. 

It  is  navigable  for  the  largest  lake  freight  vessels  up  to  the 
fork,  though  the  depth  of  water  is  rarely  sufficient  to  permit  them 
to  carry  a  load  to  their  full  capacity.  It  is  crossed  by  seventeen 
bridges  for  city  travel,  and  four  railroad  bridges,  and,  with  three 
exceptions,  all  with  stone  piers  in  the  center  of  the  stream;  it  is 
lined  with  docks,  elevators,  and  other  large  buildings;  sewers 
open  into  it  from  both  sides.  There  are  thirteen  slips  extending 
at  right  angles,  of  an  average  length  of  1,200  feet  and  width  of 
100  feet,  and  of  sufficient  depth  for  vessels,  presumably  about  the 
same  as  that  of  the  South  Branch. 

The  canal  pumping  works  are  located  on  the  west  fork,  about 
300  feet  beyond  the  point  of  junction  with  the  east  fork.  The 
west  fork  is  navigable  for  a  distance  of  about  two  miles  above 

(19) 


20  SEWAGE    DISCHARGE   INTO    CHICAGO    RIVER. 

the  pumping  works,  and,  with  water  at  a  depth  varying  from  four 
to  six  feet,  extends  some  four  miles  further.  Sewers  discharge 
into  it  at  various  points  for  about  three  miles  above  the  pumping 
works;  its  course  for  about  one  mile  from  the  junction  is  nearly 
due  west,  when  it  bears  off  to  the  southwest.  The  east  fork  of 
the  South  Branch  extends  from  the  point  of  junction  about  due 
south  one  half  a  mile,  where  it  divides  again — the  east  fork  and 
its  branch  is  about  one  mile  long.  All  the  sewage  from  the  stock 
yards  enters  the  east  fork,  beside  that  from  other  sewers  drain- 
ing the  town  of  Lake.  Neither  branch  of  the  river  has  any  living 
supply.  Except  in  times  of  heavy  rains,  or  the  melting  of  large 
bodies  of  snow  in  its  water-shed,  or  the  overflow  of  the  Des  Plaines 
River,  its  only  tributaries  are  the  sewers  emptying  into  it.  The 
height  of  the  water  in  all  the  branches  depends  upon  the  level  of 
Lake  Michigan.  Under  such  circumstances,  the  water  would 
become  extremely  filthy  in  a  very  short  time  were  it  not  for 
artificial  circulation;  this  is  obtained  for  that  portion  of  the  North 
Branch  between  Fullerton  Avenue  and  Lake  Street,  by  the 
pumping  works  at  Fullerton  Avenue,  the  water  from  which 
creates  a  slight  current  toward  the  main  stem,  and  keeps  that 
portion  of  it  below  Fullerton  Avenue  in  a  tolerable  condition. 

The  pumping  works  at  Bridgeport  throw  into  the  canal  an 
amount  of  water  slightly  in  excess  of  the  output  from  the  North 
Branch  and  that  from  the  sewers  entering  the  South  Branch. 
This  excess  is  drawn  up  the  main  stem  from  the  lake. 

The  sewage  from  the  entire  river  is  collected  in  the  South 
Branch,  and,  as  the  current  is  very  slow,  probably  not  more  than 
one-half  mile  in  twenty-four  hours,  the  sewage  there  collected 
becomes  decomposed.  Whatever  current  is  produced  up  the 
South  Branch  is  only  between  the  main  stem  and  the  pumping 
works.  The  sewage  which  enters  the  east  fork  of  the  South 
Branch  from  the  stock  yards  and  the  town  of  Lake,  and  that 
which  enters  the  west  fork  above  the  pumping  works, 
and  that  which  enters  the  North  Branch  above  the  Fullerton 
Avenue  pumping  works,  remains  stagnant  and  in  process  of 
decomposition,  except  as  it  is  moved  along  by  the  fresh  sewage 
behind,  and  oozes  into  the  artificial  current  made  by  the  pumps. 


THE    ILLINOIS   AND    MICHIGAN    CANAL.  21 

THE  ILLINOIS  AND  MICHIGAN  CANAL. 

The  work  had  its  inception  in  an  Act  of  Congress,  passed  in 
1822,  by  which  the  State  was  authorized  to  survey  and  mark  out 
through  the  public  lands  a  canal  from  the  Illinois  River  to  Lake 
Michigan. 

In  1823  the  Legislature  of  the  State  established  a  commis 
sion  to  make  the  survey. 

In  1827  Congress  gave  a  right  of  way  240  feet  wide,  and 
284,000  acres  of  land  to  be  sold  and  the  proceeds  applied  to 
the  building  of  the  canal. 

In  1836  the  Legislature  passed  an  act  for  the  prosecution  of 
the  work.  The  canal  was  to  be  sixty  feet  wide  at  the  surface, 
thirty-six  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  and  six  feet  deep,  and  ninety 
feet  on  each  side  of  the  canal. 

The  work  was  to  be  paid  for  from  sale  of  the  lands 
granted  by  Congress.  Sales  of  land  were  slow,  the  work 
dragged,  contractors  were  unpaid,  and  finally,  in  1843,  the  work 
stopped.  In  that  year  the  Legislature  authorized  the  issue  of 
canal  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $1,600,000,  to  complete  the  work. 
They  were  to  be  a  lien  upon  the  canal  lands  and  revenues,  and 
the  canal  property  was  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  three  trus- 
tees, one  to  be  appointed  by  the  Governor  of  the  State  and  two 
to  be  selected  by  the  bondholders,  who  were  to  retain  control  of 
the  property  until  the  bonds  were  paid.  This  arrangement  was 
carried  out,  work  -was  recommenced  in  1845,  and  the  canal  was 
completed  so  as  to  be  put  in  operation  in  1848,  and  remained  in 
the  hands  of  said  trustees  until  1871,  when,  the  debt  having  been 
paid,  the  canal  was  turned  over  to  the  State. 

The  original  plan  of  the  canal  was  to  cut  deep  enough  from 
the  South  Branch  through  and  past  the  summit,  a  distance 
of  26^  miles,  for  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  by  natural 
flow  from  the  lake.  The  means  to  do  the  work  were  not 
available,  and  the  bottom  of  the  canal,  when  put  in  operation  in 
1848,  was  nine  feet  above  the  level  as  originally  established. 
Water  was  supplied  by  pumping  works  at  Bridgeport,  and  by  a 
feeder  from  Calumet  River,  across  which  a  dam  was  built,  and  a 
portion  of  its  waters  turned  into  the  canal. 

In  1865  the  State  Legislature  passed  an  act  with  a  preamble 
substantially  as  follows: 


22  CHICAGO    DEEPENS    THE    CANAL. 

WHEREAS,  It  is  understood  that  the  city  of  Chicago,  in  order 
to  purify  Chicago  River  by  drawing  water  from  Lake  Michigan, 
will  advance  sufficient  money  to  accomplish  this  desirable  result, 
and  whereas  the  original  plan  of  the  canal  was  to  cut  down  the 
summit  so  as  to  draw  a  supply  of  water  from  Lake  Michigan, 
which  plan  was  abandoned  in  consequence  of  the  inability  of 
the  State  to  procure  the  necessary  funds,  and  whereas  the  Sum- 
mit division  of  the  canal  was  so  changed  as  to  require  the 
principal  supply  of  water  to  be  obtained  through  the  Calumet 
feeder,  subject  to  serious  contingencies,  and  by  pumping  with 
the  hydraulic  works  at  Bridgeport, 

Be  it  Enacted,  That  the  city  of  Chicago  may  enter  into  an 
arrangement  with  the  Board  of  Canal  Trustees,  with  a  view  to 
the  speedy  accomplishment  of  the  work,  etc.,  the  expenditure 
not  to  be  more  than  $2,500,000.  At  the  same  session  the  State 
Legislature  passed  an  act  which  authorized  and  required  the 
Board  of  Public  Works  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  with  the  approval 
of  the  City  Council,  to  adopt  and  execute  a  plan  "for  cleaning 
"the  Chicago  River  and  its  branches,  and  keeping  the  same  in  a 
"pure  and  healthy  condition." 

The  said  Board  of  Public  Works  was  authorized  to  contract 
with  the  trustees  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  for  the 
widening  and  deepening  of  said  canal,  so  as  to  take  the  water  of 
Chicago  River.  The  city  was  authorized  to  borrow  $2,000,000 
to  do  the  work,  and  to  have  a  lien  upon  the  canal  tolls  until  the 
money  was  repaid.  The  canal  trustees  were  authorized  to  make 
a  contract  in  conformity  with  the  terms  of  the  act. 

The  dam  across  the  Calumet,  above  mentioned,  caused  the 
flooding  of  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  State  of  Indiana,  and 
this  was  probably  one  of  the  serious  contingencies  mentioned  in 
the  preamble  above  quoted.  The  Legislature  in  1871  passed  an 
act  requiring  the  removal  of  this  dam,  which  was  done.  It  was 
expected  that  the  enlargement  of  the  canal  would  provide  a 
channel  through  which,  by  the  natural  flow,  the  waters  of  the 
South  Branch  would  be  sufficiently  purified,  and  the  canal  ade- 
quately supplied  with  water. 

In  pursuance  of  those  acts,  the  city  raised  the  money,  and  the 
channel  of  the  canal  was  deepened  eight  feet,  the  work  being 
completed  in  the  spring  of  1871,  and  the  expectations  founded 
upon  the  work  were  for  a  time  realized. 

The  turning  of  the  current  through  the  South  Branch  into  the 
canal  carried  with  it,  however,  the  greater  part  of  the  sewage  of 
the  city;  sludge  was  deposited  along  the  canal,  the  sides  of  the 


THE    CANAL    BECOMES   INADEQUATE.  23 

canal  sloughed  off  into  the  channel,  and  it  was  thus  gradually 
contracted. 

The  city  continued  to  grow  with  unexampled  rapidity,  the 
canal  commissioners  made  inadequate  efforts-to  keep  the  chan- 
nel clear  by  dredging,  the  flow  through  the  canal  decreased,  and 
the  South  Branch,  in  a  few  years,  again  became  offensive. 

Before  leaving  this  topic,  it  is  but  just  to  say  that  the  State, 
in  view  of  the  vast  destruction  of  public  property  by  the  great 
fire  of  October  9,  1871,  promptly  and  generously  came  to  the  aid 
of  the  city,  and  on  the  2oth  of  the  same  month  passed  an  act,  re- 
paying the  city  for  its  expenditure  to  the  amount  of  $2,955,340. 

As  a  matter  of  some  interest  in  connection  with  the  history  of 
the  canal,  it  is  well  enough  to  state  that  the  entire  cost  of  the  work, 
including  the  money  repaid  to  the  city  of  Chicago,  was  $9, 5 13,021 ; 
of  this  amount,  $5,886,039  was  realized  from  sales  of  land  granted 
by  Congress,  and  $2,933,691  by  tolls  upon  the  canal,  which  for 
several  years  were  very  large.  It  has  not,  however,  paid  the 
expenses  of  maintenance  and  operation  since  1879. 

In  view  of  the  offensive  character  of  the  water  flowing  through 
the  South  Branch  into  the  canal,  the  Legislature  in  1881  passed 
certain  joint  resolutions  to  the  effect  that  the  Board  of  Canal 
Commissioners  should  open  certain  sluice-ways  from  Des  Plaines 
to  the  canal  near  Summit,  etc.,  at  an  expense  not  exceeding 
$10,000,  provided  that  the  canal  commissioners  should  first  con- 
fer with  the  Mayor,  or  the  proper  authorities  of  the  city  of  Chica- 
go, and  if  said  city  should  proceed  without  delay  to  cause  a  flow 
into  the  canal  from  the  Chicago  River  sufficient  to  dilute  and 
purify  the  waters,  and  thus  remedy  the  evil  complained  of,  said 
flow  not  to  be  more  than  60,000  cubic  feet  per  minute,  including 
the  ordinary  flow  into  the  canal  from  the  Chicago  River,  or  so 
much  as  in  the  judgment  of  said  commissioners  said  canal  could 
carry,  and  if  this  shall  be  accomplished  by  the  first  day  of 
September,  1881,  the  commissioners  should  accept  it  in  lieu  of  ob- 
taining a  supply  of  water  from  the  other  sources  named.  "  Pro- 
"vided  further,  that  said  commissioners  are  hereby  directed  to 
"  take  care  of  the  60,000  cubic  feet  per  minute  above  contem- 
"  plated,  if  so  furnished  by  the  city  of  Chicago." 

In  pursuance  of  those  resolutions  the  city  immediately  under- 
took the  construction  of  the  pumping  works  at  Bridgeport.  A 
contract  was  made  in  August,  1881,  to  build  the  pumps;  they  were 
completed  in  1885,  and  have  ever  since  been  in  operation.  They 


24  BRIDGEPORT    PUMPING    WORKS. 

cost  over  $280,000,  and  the  expense  of  their  maintenance  and 
operation  for  the  past  three  years  has  been  about  $70,000  annually. 

The  contract  of  the  city  called  for  a  capacity  of  60,000  cubic 
feet  of  water  per  minute;  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  they  have 
averaged  over  35,000  cubic  feet  per  minute  for  any  month  since 
they  were  put  in  operation.  Regarding  the  capacity  of  these 
pumps,  it  is  proper  to  say  that  the  city  contracted  with  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  substantial  concerns  in  the  country  for  their 
erection.  The  contract  provided  that  there  should  be  a  continuous 
test  of  all  the  pumps  for  forty-eight  hours  against  eight  feet 
head  of  water,  at  a  speed  of  100  to  125  revolutions  per  minute. 

On  a  test  trial  in  April,  1885,  they  were  found  insufficient. 
The  contractors  endeavored  to  improve  them,  and  in  December, 
1886,  another  test  trial  was  made  before  a  commission  of  which 
Benzette  Williams  was  chairman.  Instead  of  a  continuous  test  of 
forty-eight  hours  of  all  the  pumps,  it  was  reported  by  Mr. 
Williams,  after  a  test  of  eight  hours,  of  two  of  the  pumps,  with 
the  furnaces  freshly  cleaned  before  starting,  that  "  the  contract 
was  complied  with  in  every  essential  respect."  That  the  pumps 
as  constructed  are  not  now,  and  never  were,  a  compliance  with 
the  contract  of  the  city  is  conceded  on  all  hands,  and  the  matter 
is  not  only  of  interest  in  itself,  but  as  a  commentary  upon  Mr. 
Williams'  ideas  of  what  constitutes  an  essential  compliance  with 
the  terms  of  a  contract. 

There  has  been  an  abundance  of  crimination  and  recrimina- 
tion on  this  matter  of  the  pumping  works  at  Bridgeport — the 
people  down  the  river  insisting  that  the  city  is  derelict,  and  that 
if  the  required  amount  was  pumped,  the  water  flowing  through 
the  canal  would  not  be  so  objectionable,  while  the  city  claims 
that  in  1889  it  proposed  to  put  in  another  plant,  and  that  the 
canal  commissioners  refused  permission. 

By  the  terms  of  the  resolutions,  the  canal  commissioners  were 
required  to  provide  for  the  passage  of  60,000  cubic  feet  of  water 
per  minute.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  capacity  of  the  canal 
in  1885,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  could  not  now  permit  a  flow,'at 
the  rate  mentioned,  without  a  greater  current  in  the  canal  than  is 
permissible  with  its  advantageous  use  as  a  means  of  water  transit. 

It  is  further  claimed  that  the  people  down  the  river  have  been 
active  in  inciting  the  canal  commissioners  to  this  pernicious 
inactivity,  to  the  end  that  Chicago  should  be  forced  into  the 
construction  of  a  great  water-way  as  a  means  of  relief.  Whether 


ACTION    OF    THE   CITY.  25 

this  latter  claim  is  well  founded  or  not,  it  is  very  certain  that  if 
the  quantity  of  water  required  by  the  resolutions  of  the  Legisla- 
ture was  pumped  by  the  city,  and  disposed  of  by  the  canal 
commissioners,  and  the  stock  yards,  gas  works,  and  other  large 
sources  of  pollution  were  required  to  dispose  of  their  sewage  in 
some  other  way,  the  water  of  the  canal  would  be  unobjectionable. 


THE  ACTION  OF  THE  CITY  OF  CHICAGO. 

It  is  apparent  from  the  foregoing  recital  that  the  city  has 
promptly  endeavored  to  carry  out  the  views  of  the  Legislature. 
The  deepening  of  the  canal  by  the  city  relieved  the  State  of  the 
expense  of  maintaining  pumping  works  at  Bridgeport,  and  of  the 
Calumet  feeder,  and  disposed  of  any  questions  which  might  arise, 
if  the  dam  was  kept  up.  It  is  apparent,  from  the  preamble  to  the 
Act  of  1865,  that  the  Legislature  understood  that  the  State  was 
to  be  the  gainer  by  the  deepening  of  the  canal.  It  was  to  have 
been  expected  that  the  flow  from  the  South  Branch  would  occa- 
sion more  or  less  deposits  in  the  canal,  and  it  was  clearly  the 
duty  of  the  canal  commissioners  to  have  kept  the  channel  clear. 
They  had  the  means  to  do  it.  The  canal  was  out  of  debt,  and 
the  receipts  from  tolls  alone,  during  the  nine  years  1871-79, 
exceeded  the  expenses  by  $330,429,  and  there  were,  in  addition 
to  this,  the  receipts  from  rent  of  water  power  and  sales  of  land. 

It  was  the  first  duty  of  the  canal  commissioners  to  have  kept 
up  the  plant;  they  did  nothing  of  the  kind,  and  the  result  was, 
that  by  1881  the  flow  from  Chicago  River  was  so  obstructed  that 
its  condition  was  as  bad  as  it  was  before  the  canal  was  deepened. 

As  has  been  seen,  the  Legislature  required  the  commissioners 
to  put  the  canal  in  a  condition  to  dispose  of  60,000  cubic  feet  of 
water  per  minute,  but  whatever  measures  they  took  to  that  end 
were  feeble  and  inefficient.  The  reports  of  the  commissioners 
bewail  the  deposits  from  Chicago  sewage  in  the  bed  of  the  canal, 
while  at  the  same  time  they  report  the  receipt  of  thousands  of 
dollars  annually  as  rents  for  the  water  power  furnished  by  the 
water  pumped  into  the  canal  by  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  despite, 
too,  the  fact  that  without  the  water  flowing  in  the  canal,  by 
reason  of  the  deepening  of  it  by  the  city,  and  by  pumping,  the 
canal  would  not  have  been  navigable. 

That  the  pumps  at  Bridgeport  are  not  in  compliance  with  the 


26  AGITATION    OF    THE    DRAINAGE   QUESTION. 

resolutions  of  the  Legislature  in  1881  was,  at  the  outset,  no  fault 
of  the  city,  and  that  no  steps  were  taken  to  remedy  the  defect, 
other  than  the  proposal  of  the  city  in  1889  to  erect  another 
pumping  plant,  which  was  vetoed  by  the  canal  commissioners,  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  from  the  rapid  growth  of  the  city  it  became 
obvious  that  measures  of  a  more  comprehensive  character  must 
be  taken.  The  erection  of  a  new  plant  would  have  given  relief, 
and  the  city  would  cheerfully  have  submitted  to  the  expense  and 
undertaken  the  work,  even  as  a  temporary  expedient,  had  it  been 
permitted  so  to  do. 

The  subject  of  the  drainage  of  Chicago  was  actively  discussed 
by  the  press  and  in  the  City  Council,  and  finally  in  January,  1886, 
action  was  taken  which  resulted  in  the  employment  of  Mr.  Her- 
ring. Private  citizens  of  Chicago  took  up  the  matter,  and 
expended  large  sums  of  money,  on  their  own  account,  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  information  upon  the  subject  of  the  drain- 
age of  the  city,  but  both  the  city  and  private  citizens  placed  the 
matter  in  the  hands  of  those  who  were  either  captivated  with  the 
idea  of  a  great  water-way  from  Chicago  to  the  Mississippi  River, 
or  were  exploiting  a  "policy,"  and  the  interests  of  drainage 
were  subordinated  to  these  ends. 

That  a  stupendous  error  was  committed  in  the  selection  of 
the  men  to  investigate  the  matter  will  probably  become  apparent 
as  we  proceed,  but  the  point  now  insisted  upon  is,  that  ample 
means  were  provided,  and  diligent  efforts  were  made,  and  in  the 
best  of  faith,  to  the  end  that  a  system  of  drainage  should  be 
devised  which  would  be  adequate  to  the  present  and  future 
needs  of  the  city  for  a  long  period,  and  do  away  with  complaints 
from  people  down  the  river;  that  those  measures  wer^  ill- 
directed,  that  irritating  delay  has  been  occasioned,  that  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  dollars  have  been  expended  uselessly,  will  appear 
hereafter,  but  this  was  the  fault  of  individuals,  and  not  the  fault 
either  of  the  city  or  of  its  people,  except  in  so  far  as  they  are 
responsible  for  the  acts  of  the  man  who  happened  to  be  mayor  of 
the  city. 

THE  HERRING  REPORT. 

As  the  Herring  report  is  yet  referred  to  by  the  advocates  of 
a  great  water-way,  and  was  the  basis  for  the  present  Drainage  Act, 
it  is  worth  while  to  give  it  some  attention. 


THE    HERRING    REPORT.  27 

The  City  Council,  on  the  ayth  of  January,  1886,  adopted  cer- 
tain resolutions  with  a  preamble,  by  which  the  Mayor  (Harrison) 
was  authorized  to  appoint  a  commission,  to  consist  of  one  engi- 
neer and  one  or  two  consulting  engineers,  to  devise  a  system  of 
drainage  and  of  water  supply  for  the  city. 

The  character  of  the  investigation  to  be  made  by  the  com- 
mission was  fixed  in  the  following  language: 

"  The  duty  of  the  Drainage  and  Water-supply  Commission  shall 
"  be  to  consider  all  plans  relative  to  drainage  and  water  supply 
"  which  may  be  brought  to  its  attention; 

"  To  make  such  examinations  and  investigations  and  surveys 
"  as  may  be  deemed  necessary. 

"  To  collect  all  information  bearing  on  this  problem. 

"  To  consider  all  recent  developments  in  the  matter  of  sewage 
"  disposal,  and  their  application  to  our  present  and  future  needs. 

"  To  consider  and  meet  the  necessity  of  increasing  our  water 
"  supply,  and  of  protecting  the  same  from  contamination. 

"  To  remedy  our  present  inadequate  methods  of  drainage  and 
"  sewage  disposal. 

"  To  consider  the  relations  of  any  system  proposed,  to  adjacent 
"  districts,  and  whether  there  may  not  be  a  union  between  the 
"  city  and  its  suburbs  to  solve  the  great  problem. 

"  To  determine  the  great  question  as  to  the  interest  which  the 
"  State  and  the  United  States  may  have  in  the  disposal  of  sewage 
"  by  way  of  the  Illinois  River,  and 

"  To  devise  plans  to  meet  any  objections  thereto,  if  such  a 
"  system  shall  be  thought  best,  and  in  general 

"  To  consider  and  report  upon  any  and  all  things  which  relate 
"  to  the  matter  of  water  supply  and  drainage  of  the  city  of  Chi- 
"  cago." 

The  commission  were  to  report  on  the  whole  matter,  fully, 
with  plans  and  diagrams  complete,  with  estimates  of  the  first  cost, 
and  cost  of  maintenance,  not  later  than  January,  1887  (when  the 
Legislature  would  be  in  session). 

Ten  thousand  dollars  a  year  was  allowed  as  salary  to  the  chief 
engineer,  and  consulting  engineers  were  to  be  employed — all  the 
expenses  not  to  exceed  $30,000. 

Mr.  Herring  was  employed,  and  entered  upon  duty  March  28th ; 
Mr.  Benzette  Williams  as  consulting  engineer  on  September  xyth, 
and  Mr.  Artingstall,  December  zist,  1886 — the  latter  was  then  city 
engineer,  and  his  connection  with  the  matter  was  only  nominal. 


28  THE    HERRING    REPORT. 

Mr.  L.  E.  Cooley  was  the  principal  assistant,  beside  whom 
there  were  four  other  engineers,  among  whom  was  Mr.  Ossian 
Guthrie. 

In  January,  1887,  Mr.  Herring  made  a  preliminary  report, 
which  was  submitted  to  the  Council  by  Mayor  Harrison  with  a 
message,  in  which  he  said  that  he  had  been  in  constant  consulta- 
tion with  the  chief  of  the  commission  during  the  progress  of  the 
investigations,  and  he  then  proceeded  to  laud  the  glories  of  a 
ship  canal  in  the  most  extravagant  fashion. 

With  a  mayor  holding  such  opinions  for  an  employer,  Ben- 
zette  Williams  for  counselor,  and  L.  E.  Cooley  and  Ossian 
Guthrie  for  assistants,  what  could  have  been  expected?  Why, 
that  there  would  be  a  water-way  report,  or  that  Mr.  Her- 
ring would  resign.  He  did  not  resign.  The  report  proper 
consists  of  thirty-four  pages  in  large  type,  and  padded  with  open 
spaces;  the  entire  matter  is  less  than  three  columns  of  an  ordi- 
nary newspaper.  Three  pages  are  devoted  to  a  settlement  of 
the  questions  involved,  which  he  gravely  sums  up  on  page 
14  as  follows:  "The  problem  therefore  demands  the  attain- 
"  ment  of  two  ends — the  protection  of  the  water  supply  and  the 
"removal  of  the  river  nuisance;  "  and  further,  on  the  same  page, 
he  says,  "Among  the  possible  methods  of  getting  rid  of  the 
"Chicago  sewage,  there  are  but  three  that  have  been  deemed 
"worthy  of  an  extended  consideration,  namely — a  discharge  into 
"Lake  Michigan,  a  disposal  upon  land,  and  a  discharge  into  the 
"  Des  Plaines  River." 

As  a  summary  of  the  methods  of  disposing  of  the  sewage, 
it  is  noticeable  that  he  omits  any  mention  whatever  of  disposing 
of  it  by  precipitation,  either  wholly  or  in  part.  He  omits  any 
mention  of  what  the  present  canal  can  do  without  objection,  and 
he  gaily  skips  forty  miles,  to  the  Des  Plaines  at  Joliet. 

Two  and  a  half  pages  are  devoted  to  our  present  sewer  sys- 
tem, four  pages  are  devoted  to  speculations  upon  the  population, 
present  and  future,  of  Chicago,  and  about  three  and  a  half  pages 
are  consumed  in  discussing  the  question  as  to  disposing  of  the 
sewage  on  land,  but  he  finally  concludes  that  this  would  cost  too 
much,  and  is  therefore  impracticable.  He  makes  no  mention  of 
the  fatal  obstacle  of  the  climate,  which  would  have  enabled  him 
to  dispose  of  the  question  in  half  a  page. 

And  now  we  come  to  the  water-way  part  of  the  report.     This 


WORTHLESSNESS   OF    THE    HERRING    REPORT.  29 

occupies  pages  28  to  37,  and  is  a  jumble  of  all  sorts  of  odds  and 
ends,  but  there  is  nowhere  a  clear,  definite  plan  outlined. 

He  would  have  the  waters  of  both  branches  of  the  Calumet 
turned  into  Wolf  Lake-  What  the  waters  of  the  Calumet  have 
to  do  with  draining  Chicago  River  is  not  explained;  he  had 
already  declared  that  the  questions  involved  were — to  keep  the 
water  supply  pure,  and  abate  the  river  nuisance. 

He  would  have  a  channel  from  the  Des  Plaines  to  the  lake, 
somewhere  north  of  the  city,  to  carry  off  the  flood  waters  of  the 
Des  Plaines,  so  that  they  would  not  come  down  through  the 
Ogden  ditch  into  the  river. 

He  assures  us  that  he  has  gauged  the  Des  Plaines,  the  Calu- 
met, the  North  Branch,  and  the  rainfall;  surveyed  the  water 
sheds;  examined  the  river  channels,  arid  reconnoitered  all  the 
country  around  the  Des  Plaines,  the  North  Branch,  the  Calumet 
River,  and  Salt  Creek,  and,  after  all  this,  "the  information  upon 
"which  definitely  to  decide  this  question  will  be  given  in  our 
"final  report." 

In  the  name  of  the  Prophet — figs! 

At  page  31  he  says,  "For  the  purpose  of  estimating 
"the  cost  of  the  water  channel,  we  have  assumed  3,600  feet  for 
"  the  cross  section,  and  a  velocity  of  the  water  three  feet  per 
"second,  or  two  miles  per  hour."  (By  cross  section  is  meant  the 
area  of  the  width  multiplied  by  the  depth.  A  channel  200  feet 
wide  and  18  feet  deep,  filled  with  water,  would  have  a  cross 
section  of  3,600  feet.) 

Upon  the  vital  question  of  cost,  he  says,  on  page  34,  •'  A 
"channel  from  the  south  fork  to  Joliet,  of  the  capacity  here- 
"tofore  given,  will  cost  between  $17,000,000  and  $21,000,000." 

There  is  not  a  syllable  as  to  the  supply  of  water  for  this  canal. 
No  mention  is  made  as  to  how  much  water  the  South  Branch  can 
supply. 

There  is  no  mention  as  to  what  was  to  be  done  with  the  water 
at  Joliet. 

Not  a  figure  is  given  as  to  the  number  of  yards  of  earth  and 
rock  excavation. 

Not  a  word  as  to  the  millions  of  dollars  which  the  right  of 
way  would  cost. 

Nothing  is  said  as  to  the  effect  of  the  volume  of  water  upon 
the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres  of  bottom  lands  of  the  Illi- 
nois River  Valley,  which  would  be  flooded.  Lake  Michigan  is 


30  FATAL   OMISSIONS   OF    THE    HERRING    REPORT. 

seventy-six  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Des  Plaines  at  Joliet  Lake, 
and  that  fall  is  mostly  between  Lockport  and  Joliet  Lake  (a 
broadening  of  the  Des  Plaines  three  miles  below  Joliet),  and  he 
says  not  a  word  as  to  whether  600,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per 
minute  are  to  be  turned,  a  roaring  torrent,  down  that  incline,  or 
are  to  be  let  down  with  locks;  and  if  with  locks,  not  a  word  as 
to  that  large  item  of  expense. 

Nothing  is  said  about  the  millions  of  dollars  that  it  would 
cost  to  supply  the  water  for  such  a  canal. 

He  finds  it  practicable  to  build  a  water-way  to  Joliet,  because 
there  is  the  low  ground  along  the  Ogden  ditch,  and  a  "  depres- 
sion "  at  the  Sag;  but  he  has  not  a  word  about  the  millions  of 
cubic  yards  of  rock  cut  between  Willow  Springs  and  Joliet. 

That  such  things  as  bridges  over  a  water-way  200  feet 
wide  would  be  required,  and  would  have  to  be  paid  for  by 
those  who  made  them  necessary,  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
thought  of. 

It  is  a  grave  matter  to  charge  that  these  omissions  were 
intentional,  but  how  any  engineer  of  moderate  capacity  could 
overlook  all  these  elements  is  inconceivable.  By  the  resolutions 
of  the  City  Council  of  Chicago,  the  sum  of  $30,000  was  appro- 
priated for  the  survey,  and  a  full  report  was  to  be  made,  includ- 
ing the  plans,  route,  cost,  etc.  The  writer  has  been  informed, 
upon  the  most  undoubted  authority,  that  it  was  openly  avowed 
by  some  of  the  men  conducting  the  investigation,  that  the  city 
of  Chicago  was  paying  the  bills,  and  that  when  the  $30,000  was 
gone  there  would  be  more  from  the  same  source. 

Mr.  Cooley,  who  was  Mr.  Herring's  chief  assistant  engineer, 
and  who  is  now  a  drainage  commissioner,  is  authority  for  the 
statement  that  the  Herring  Commission  cost  $65,000.  The  city 
was  evidently  a  good  cow  to  milk. 

The  whole  energy  of  the  movement  was  to  commit  the  city 
of  Chicago  to  a  visionary  scheme  of  a  water-way,  to  which 
drainage  was  an  incident,  and  it  looks  as  though  the  cost  of  the 
undertaking  was  intentionally  and  studiously  concealed. 

It  is  sheer  nonsense  to  say,  in  excuse,  that  this  was  merely  a 
preliminary  report.  Mr.  Herring  knew  that  a  full  report,  with 
plans  and  estimates,  was  to  be  forthcoming  by  January,  1887. 
He  had  five  engineers  associated  with  him,  and  could  have  had 
more  if  necessary.  Salt  Creek  and  Calumet  River  were  unim- 
portant features  in  his  work.  He  is  proposing  a  grand  scheme, 


WORKING    A    "POLICY."  31 

and  yet  in  nine  months  time  he  can  give  but  a  meager,  and  that 
erroneous,  outline. 

In  the  spring  of  1891,  the  writer  met  Mr.  Herring  in  the  office 
of  Mr.  Benzette  Williams,  in  Chicago.  The  subject  of  a  water- 
way, as  provided  for  by  the  present  Drainage  Act,  was  under  dis- 
cussion, and  the  writer  complained  that  so  little  was  made  known 
as  to  the  cost  of  the  work,  before  people  voted  on  the  adoption 
of  the  law.  Mr.  Williams  replied,  "  Perhaps  that  was  not  policy." 
"Not  policy!"  Not  policy  for  whom?  Not  policy  for  the  tax- 
payers of  Chicago  to  know  what  they  were  voting  for,  or  not 
policy  for  water-way  enthusiasts,  who  would  have  the  city  of 
Chicago  committed  to  an  undertaking  of  which  it  knew  neither 
the  nature  or  extent? 

No  further  report  was  ever  made  by  that  commission.  It 
lingered  along  until  April  or  May,  1887,  the  members  drawing 
their  pay  regularly,  until  discharged  at  that  time.  The  Herring 
report  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  It  has  been  succeeded  by  others, 
and  is  only  now  made  the  subject  of  observation  because  it  is  a 
part  of  the  history  of  Chicago  drainage;  because  if  it  had  been 
what  it  ought  to  have  been,  the  Drainage  Act  of  1889  would 
never  have  been  adopted,  and  because  it  is  still  quoted  in  oppo- 
sition to  attempts  to  amend  that  act. 


THE  COMMISSION  OF  1887. 


At  the  session  of  the  Legislature  in  1887,  two  or  more  bills 
were  introduced.  One,  known  as  the  Hurd-Winston  bill,  in  the 
line  of  a  water-way,  was  pushed  forward,  and  was  thought  likely 
to  pass,  but  the  rivermen  secured  an  amendment  which  led  to 
its  abandonment. 

No  legislation,  or  at  least  none  of  any  value,  was  obtained, 
but  finally,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Riley,  a  member  from  Joliet,  a  reso- 
lution was  adopted  that  a  commission  be  appointed,  consisting 
of  four  members  of  the  Legislature  and  the  Mayor  of  Chicago, 
"to  examine  and  report  to  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature, 
"upon  the  subject  of  the  drainage  of  Chicago  and  its  suburbs." 
The  reader  will  please  note  the  words,  it  was  the  drainage  of 
Chicago  they  were  to  investigate  and  report  upon. 

Here  again,  the  water-way  crowd  made  their  mark.  The 
commission  as  appointed,  consisted  of  Riley  of  Joliet,  Bell  of 
Peoria,  and  Eckhart  and  McMillan  of  Chicago — all  of  them  in 
favor  of  a  great  water-way.  Mr.  Roche  was  mayor,  and  he  too 
was  a  water-way  man.  The  commission  made  no  report  of  any 
description  to  the  Legislature  upon  the  subject  committed  to 
them,  but  presented  the  Drainage  Act,  substantially  as  it  was 
passed,  and  now  stands  on  our  statute  books. 

In  response  to  an  inquiry  by  the  writer  as  to  whether  the 
commission  made  any  examination  of  the  subject  of  drainage, 
one  of  the  Chicago  members,  after  a  pause,  replied,  that  they 
"  attended  a  meeting  at  Peoria." 

This  was  held  on  the  nth  and  1 2th  of  October,  1887,  and 
was  a  meeting  of  people  from  four  or  five  States,  in  favor  of 
water-ways  "and  an  appropriation."  It  was  controlled  by  the 
people  of  the  Illinois  River  Valley,  and  was  unanimous  that  every 
exertion  must  be  put  forth  to  secure  a  great  water-way  between 
Chicago  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  members  of  the  commission  also  thought  it  desirable  to 
call  a  meeting  of  people,  from  towns  down  the  river,  to  discuss 
the  provisions  of  a  bill  to  be  introduced  into  the  Legislature  at 

(32) 


RIVER    VALLEY    PEOPLE    AT    THE   CITY    HALL.  33 

the  coming  session,  and  accordingly  such  a  meeting  was  held  at 
the  Council  Chamber  in  the  City  Hall  of  Chicago  on  December 
4,  1888. 

Mr.  E.  Sanford,  a  lawyer  at  Morris,  was  one  of  those  present, 
and  took  part  in  the  discussion,  and  afterward,  in  the  spring  of 
1891,  was  selected  by  the  city  of  Morris  to  resist  the  proposed 
amendments  to  the  Drainage  Act,  and  prepared  a  pamphlet  for 
that  purpose,  from  which  is  quoted,  as  to  the  proceedings  of  the 
meeting  at  the  city  hall. 

He  says  that  Mayor  Roche  presided,  and  stated  that  "  the 
"  primary  object  of  this  bill  will  be  to  construct  a  water-way 
"  down  to  the  Mississippi,  and  the  citizens  of  Chicago  want  the 
"  sewage  question  disposed  of  at  the  same  time."  Mr.  Sanford 
says  further,  that  Mayor  Roche,  in  answer  to  the  inquiry,  "  Is 
"not  the  real  question  of  this  conference,  Chicago  sewage?" 
replied,  that  "  this  committee  was  appointed  to  consider  the 
"  water-way,  and  then  to  see  if  it  was  advisable  to  use  it  for 
"sewage." 

The  language  of  the  resolution  by  which  the  commission  was 
created,  as  it  is  found  in  the  session  laws  of  1887,  has  been  quoted 
above.  To  re-read  the  published  proceedings  of  that  meeting, 
in  the  light  of  what  has  since  transpired,  it  would  seem  that  the 
so-called  commission,  having  prepared  the  present  Drainage  Act, 
it  was  deemed  a  stroke  of  policy  to  have  a  meeting  in  Chicago, 
where  the  people  from  down  the  river  should  air  their  obstreper- 
ousness,  as  a  means  of  cutting  off  any  opposition  to  the  bill  in 
Chicago. 

The  fact  was,  that  neither  the  commission  created  by  the 
Legislature,  nor  the  city  itself,  under  the  leadership  of  Mayor 
Roche,  took  any  steps  to  acquire  any  more  definite  information, 
either  as  to  the  drainage  of  Chicago,  or  as  to  the  cost  and  practi- 
cability of  this  water-way  scheme,  than  was  known  in  January, 
1887. 

Incapable  of  examining  the  matter,  or  indifferent  to  the 
momentous  questions  committed  to  them,  and  possessed  of 
vapory  notions  as  to  the  value  of  a  great  water  channel  between 
Chicago  and  the  Mississippi  River,  and  withal,  terrorized  by  the 
bluster  of  the  river  people,  they  not  only  advocated  the  con- 
struction of  a  work  of  which  they  had  but  a  feeble  conception, 
but  submitted  to  have  it  loaded  with  requirements  the  most 
illogical  and  unfair. 

3 


34  THE   PRESENT    DRAINAGE    ACT. 

Attention  will  now  be  called  to  some  of  the  provisions  of  the 
Drainage  Act. 

THE    DRAINAGE  ACT    OF  1889. 

It  is  understood  that  the  present  law,  substantially  in  the  form 
in  which  it  appears  on  our  statute  book,  was  prepared  by  and 
under  the  direction  of  Riley  of  Joliet,  Harvey  B.  Hurd,  a  lawyer 
of  Evanston,  L.  E.  Cooley  of  Evanston,  and  Benzette  Williams 
of  Western  Springs,  a  hamlet  on  Salt  Creek  in  the  western  part 
of  Cook  County — four  gentlemen,  neither  of  whom  reside  in 
Chicago,  nor  within  the  drainage  district,  and  three  of  whom, 
viz.,  Messrs.  Riley,  Cooley,  and  Williams,  are  not  taxpayers  in 
the  drainage  district.  Probably  the  then  mayor  (Roche)  and 
other  advocates  of  a  water-way  were  advised  with,  but  it  does  not 
appear  that  any  men  having  regard  to  the  sanitary  interests  of 
Chicago  or  the  welfare  of  the  taxpayers,  as  matters  first  to  be 
considered,  had  anything  to  do  with  framing  the  law.  The  act 
was  passed  solely  as  a  measure  for  the  construction  of  a  water- 
way, and  if  Chicago  was  to  get  any  benefit  from  it  as  a  means 
for  disposing  of  its  sewage,  that  was  only  incidental. 

The  act  was  to  be  submitted  to  the  people  for  adoption.  It 
was  approved  by  the  then  mayor  (Mr.  Roche),  who  was  said  to 
have  some  knowledge  of  engineering;  by  the  Citizens'  Associa- 
tion, which  was  composed  of  public-spirited  men  who  claimed  to 
have  given  attention  to  the  matter,  and  were  supposed  to  be 
acting  intelligently,  and  it  was  enthusiastically  supported  by  the 
daily  press  of  Chicago,  with  possibly  one  exception;  it  was 
declared  to  be  the  only  solution  of  the  drainage  question,  and 
that,  as  such,  it  was  full  and  complete.  Its  practical  operation 
was  not  understood,  and  it  was  adopted  with  a  comparatively 
small  dissenting  vote.  It  was  tested  by  legal  proceedings,  and 
the  case  carried  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  but  it  was 
held  valid,  and  proceedings  were  taken  to  carry  out  its  pro- 
visions. The  law  has  been  published  repeatedly,  and  can  be 
found  among  the  session  laws  of  1889,  but  attention  will  be 
directed  to  some  of  its  more  important  provisions. 

NINE    DRAINAGE    TRUSTEES. 

SECTION  3.  This  section  provides  for  nine  trustees  to  consti- 
tute the  Drainage  Board.  The  act  was  passed  before  the  towns 


THE    DRAINAGE    BOARD   SHOULD    BE    ABOLISHED.  35 

of  Hyde  Park  and  Lake  and  the  city  of  Lake  View  were  annexed 
to  Chicago.  It  was  expected  that  they,  and,  if  Kurd  and  Cooley 
could  manage  it,  Evanston,  also,  would  become  part  of  the 
drainage  district,  and  they  could  not  at  that  time  properly  be' 
subjected  to  the  control  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  which  was  prin- 
cipally interested  in  the  matter,  as  a  means  of  drainage.  The 
device  of  nine  trustees  for  the  entire  district  was  therefore 
adopted.  Since  the  passage  of  the  act,  nearly  all  the  territory 
affected  by  its  provisions,  and  all  the  territory  identified  with  the 
city  of  Chicago  in  the  matter  of  drainage,  has  been  annexed  to 
the  city,  and  there  is  now  no  reason  why  the  city  should  not 
direct  and  control  its  drainage  affairs  as  well  as  any  other. 

It  is  true  that  small  portions  of  the  towns  of  Lyons  and 
Cicero  are  within  the  limits  of  the  drainage  district  as  at  present 
established,  and  are  not  within  the  city  limits,  but  these  excep- 
tions could  be  easily  disposed  of. 

THE  DRAINAGE  BOARD  SHOULD  BE  ABOLISHED. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  without  a  head.  By  Section  4  they  are 
authorized  to  elect  a  president,  but  he  has  not,  by  the  law,  any 
executive  powers  conferred  upon  him — he  is  simply  the  presiding 
officer  at  meetings  of  the  board.  As  to  his  powers,  they  are  the 
same  as  those  of  the  other  members — no  more,  no  less.  Nothing 
can  be  done  without  the  authority  of  a  majority  of  the  board. 
The  natural  outcome  of  such  a  condition  of  things  is,  that  there 
is  no  individual  responsibility;  cabals  are  formed  to  get  control 
of  a  majority;  movements  are  planned,  and  carried  through 
without  discussion,  by  the  strength  of  a  majority  vote.  It  has 
been  publicly  stated,  and  the  charge  published,  that  the  minority 
have  not,  in  all  cases,  had  free  access  to  the  documents  belonging 
to  the  board. 

Second.  It  is  a  secret  institution.  Here  is  a  corporation 
having  the  power  to  tax  the  people  of  Chicago  $1,000,000  annu- 
ally, and  issue  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $15,000,000,  and  engage 
in  an  undertaking  involving  the  expenditure  of  an  amount  of 
money  of  which  they  can  not,  or  will  not,  give  an  estimate,  and 
to  subject  the  city  to  millions  of  dollars  of  liabilities  annually, 
and  there  are  no  public  discussions  as  to  plans  and  projects. 

Third.  It  is  an  extravagant  board.  On  the  igth  of  Decem- 
ber, 1891,  the  clerk  and  acting  secretary  of  the  board  certified 


36  THE    CANAL    NOT    TO    BE    USED. 

that  its  expenses,  up  to  December  8th  previous,  had  been  $334,- 
659.77,  and  since  that  time,  to  and  including  August  i,  1892,  they 
have  expended  $153,567.51,  making  a  total  of  $488,227.28. 

This  money  is  paid  by  the  same  people  who  paid  $65,000  for 
the  Herring  Commission,  and  makes  an  aggregate  of  over  $550,- 
ooo,  and  about  all  that  has  been  realized  from  this  outlay,  is  some 
incomplete  engineering.  Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  City 
Council  of  Chicago,  its  proceedings  are  open,  and  all  important 
measures  are  discussed;  its  members  are  keenly  alive  to  the 
necessity  of  economy  and  prudence.  The  Drainage  Board  should 
be  abolished,  and  whatever  powers  are  necessary  be  conferred 
on  the  city  government;  it  may  be  that  an  amendment  to  the 
Constitution  would  be  necessary,  but  our  recent  experience  with 
the  $5,000,000  World's  Fair  fund  indicates  that  this  is  no  mate- 
rial obstacle. 

THE    CANAL    MUST    NOT    BE    USED. 

SECTION  17.  This  section  provides  that  no  portion  of  the 
canal  outside  of  Cook  County  shall  be  used.  Why  this  provision 
was  inserted  must  be  left  to  conjecture.  Here  is  a  strip  of 
land  extending  from  Chicago  River  to  Joliet,  240  feet  wide, 
with  a  canal  already  dug,  sixty  feet  wide,  and  yet  only  the  portion 
within  the  limits  of  Cook  County  can  be  used.  This  canal  is 
public  property — belongs  to  the  State — and,  practically,  as  we 
have  seen,  did  not  cost  the  State  anything;  it  will  be  of  no  pos- 
sible use  after  the  proposed  water-way  is  built.  It  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  the  city  will  continue  the  use  of  the  pumps  at 
Bridgeport  after  the  proposed  canal  is  built,  and  without  an  arti- 
ficial supply  it  would  not  have  two  feet  of  water  in  it.  It  does 
not  pay  expenses  now,  with  water  furnished  by  the  city;  the 
State  will  never  supply  it,  and  it  will  be  so  much  waste  land. 
Why  then  should  it  not  be  used  for  the  proposed  water-way?  And 
why  limit  its  use  to  that  portion  within  the  limits  of  Cook 
County?  If  any  part  of  it  could  be  used,  what  reason  was  there 
for  making  a  distinction  between  that  in  Cook  County  and  that 
beyond  its  limits?  The  people  of  Joliet  and  down  the  river 
were  professing  only  an  interest  in  a  sufficient  flow  of  water 
from  Lake  Michigan  to  do  away  with  the  objections  to  the  sew- 
age of  Chicago,  and,  as  it  was  immaterial  through  what  channel 
the  water  flowed,  this  provision  could  not  have  been  material  to 
them. 


BIASED    JURIES    IN    DAMAGE    SUITS.  37 

In  the  light  of  $65,000  spent  for  engineering  by  the  city  for 
the  Herring  Commission,  of  which  Cooley  and  Benzette  Williams 
were  the  principal  members,  and  of  t*he  fact  that  in  all,  some- 
thing over  $550,000  has  been  expended,  and,  of  this  large  sum, 
all  which  has  not  been  expended  for  engineering  has  simply 
been  as  an  adjunct  to  it,  this  restriction  would  seem  to  have 
been  inserted  for  the  purpose  of  necessitating  a  vast  amount  of 
so-called  engineering  work.  That  it  was  a  pretty  successful 
piece  of  engineering  of  itself  is  apparent,  when  we  find  that 
Cooley  was  immediately  elected  chief  engineer,  at  a  salary  of 
$6,000  per  annum;  that  Benzette  Williams  is  now  chief  engineer 
at  a  salary  of  $9,000  per  annum;  that  Cooley  is  now  a  drainage 
commissioner  at  a  salary  of  $3,000  per  annum,  and  that  the 
Drainage  Commission,  on  the  iyth  of  February,  1892,  provided 
for  an  unlimited  number  of  assistants  at  from  $2,400  to  $3,600 
per  year. 

SUITS   TO    BE    BROUGHT    IN    PREJUDICED    LOCALITIES. 

SECTION  19.  This  section  provides  that  the  drainage  district 
shall  be  liable  for  all  damages  occasioned  b.y  flooding,  and  suit 
may  be  brought  in  the  county  where  the  property  is  situated. 
As  to  the  bringing  of  suits  where  the  property  is  located,  in 
theory  this  would  seem  fair  enough,  but  the  practical  result  will 
be,  that  all  questions  as  to  damages  for  flowing,  and  the  amount 
of  such  damage,  will  be  submitted  to  juries  naturally  biased  in 
favor  of  their  neighbors,  and  with  no  particular  friendship  for 
the  great  city  of  Chicago.  That  these  feelings  will  have  a  pow- 
erful influence  upon  their  verdicts,  no  one  familiar  with  jury 
trials  can  for  a  moment  doubt.  The  great  additional  flow  of 
water  proposed  by  the  Drainage  Act  is  to  be  emptied  into  the 
Des  Plaines  at  Joliet.  About  ten  miles  below  Joliet,  the  Des 
Plaines  and  Kankakee  rivers  unite,  forming  the  Illinois  River, 
which  extends  in  a  southwesterly  direction  to  the  Mississippi 
River,  a  distance  of  about  265  miles.  The  current  is  very  slug- 
gish, and  for  a  great  portion  of  its  course  it  is  bordered  with  low 
bottom  lands. 

The  effect  of  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute  added 
to  its  contents  must  be  very  great,  and  it  is  easy  enough  to 
foresee  that  in  cases  of  damage  for  overflowing,  witnesses  and 
juries  would  be  swift  to  attribute  all  possible  damage  to  the 
water  from  the  drainage  district. 


38  UNNECESSARY    DILUTION    OF    THE    SEWAGE. 

UNNECESSARY    AMOUNT    OF    WATER    REQUIRED. 

SECTIONS  20  and  23.  As  these  sections  both  relate  to  the  quan- 
tity of  water  to  flow  through  the  channel,  they  may  be  considered 
together,  so  far  as  that  question  is  concerned.  The  channel  when 
first  opened  must  be  large  enough  to  produce  a  flow  of  300,000 
cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute.*  This  is  at  the  rate  of  200  cubic 
feet  per  minute  for  each  1,000  of  1,500,000  people,  and  when 
the  population  of  the  city  exceeds  that  number  the  canal  must 
be  enlarged  so  as  to  keep  up  that  proportion.  That  is,  when 
the  city  reaches  a  population  of  2,000,000,  provision  must  be 
made  for  a  flow  of  400,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute.  This 
is  at  the  rate  of  2,304  gallons  of  water  every  twenty-four  hours 
for  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the  drainage  district.  U'e 
have  seen  that  the  sewage  supply  daily  of  each  man,  woman,  and 
child  is  121  gallons,  so  that  the  requirement  of  the  law  is,  that 
for  every  gallon  of  sewage  there  shall  be  more  than  nineteen 
gallons  of  fresh  water  added.  To  take  a  practical  view  of  the 
matter  at  a  closer  range,  and  a  view  which  very  many  will  under- 
stand from  experience,  let  us  take  the  case  of  a  family  of  five, 
composed  of  a  man,  wife,  two  children,  and  one  servant,  and 
instead  of  a  water  supply  by  turning  a  faucet,  let  it  be  supposed 
that  it  is  brought  from  a  well  and  cistern. 

A  liberal  estimate  of  the  daily  slop  would  be: 

i  pail  chamber. 

6     "     kitchen. 

3     "     face  and  hand  washing. 

3     "     daily,  or  21  per  week,  for  bathing. 

5     "     daily,  or  35  per  week,  for  clothes  washing. 

18  pails,  of  2^  gallons  each,  make  a  daily  average  of  45  gallons. 

The  daily  consumption  of  water  per  capita,  in  Chicago,  is 
shown  to  be  121  gallons,  or,  for  a  family  of  five,  605  gallons, 
which  is  about  thirteen  times  the  quantity  of  actual  sewage  as 
estimated  above;  and  the  requirement  of  the  law  is  that  this 
daily  sewage  of  605  gallons  must  be  increased  nineteen  times, 
before  it  can  be  allowed  to  start  on  a  journey  of  forty  miles  to 
Joliet. 

The  principal  discussions  of  the  dilution  of  the  sewage  have 
been  by  European  writers,  and  are  based  upon  the  use  of  from 


*  A  cubic  foot  of  water  is  about  eight  gallons. 


USE    OF    THE    WATER-WAY    FOR    SEWAGE    NOT    SECURE.         39 

one-fourth  to  one-third  the  water  used  in  Chicago.  If  any  one 
will  reflect  a  moment,  it  will  be  apparent  that,  taking  an  average 
family  of  five,  and  allowing  the  household  wash  and  waste  from 
that  family  to  be  diluted  so  that  the  flow  into  the  sewage  is  over 
600  gallons  daily,  it  is  simply  preposterous  to  say  that  it  must 
have  nineteen  times  that  amount  of  water  added  to  it  in  order 
that  it  shall  be  inoffensive  at  a  distance  of  forty  miles. 

The  practical  result  of  that  requirement  is,  that  taking  the 
actual  daily  sewage  of  a  family  of  five,  with  water  drawn  from 
well  and  cistern,  as  averaging  forty-five  gallons  daily,  for  the 
entire  family,  this  forty-five  gallons  must  be  increased  to 
11,520  gallons,  or  water  enough  to  fill  an  ordinary  freight  car  to 
the  top,  before  it  can  be  allowed  to  enter  the  great  water-way. 

The  great  quantity  of  fresh  water  required  by  the  Drainage 
Act  was  an  arbitrary  requirement,  not  sanctioned  by  any  con- 
currence of  respectable  authority,  is  palpably  unnecessary,  and 
was  done  in  the  interest  of  a  great  water-way  rather  than  in 
that  of  the  sewage  question. 

SEWAGE   MAY    NOT    BE    ALLOWED    IN    THE   CANAL. 

SECTION  22.  This  section  provides  that  this  act  shall  not  be 
construed  as  a  contract  on  the  part  of  the  State  with  any  sani- 
tary district  formed  under  its  provisions,  and  new  requirements 
may  be  imposed,  or  the  act  repealed  altogether.  This  provision 
was  doubtless  inserted  by  the  river  valley  people,  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  they  have  been  consulting  lawyers  as  to  enjoining  the 
city  from  pumping,  or  allowing,  a  flow  of  water  into  the  present 
canal,  and  the  lawyers  find  themselves  confronted  with  certain 
obligations  on  the  part  of  the  State,  arising  out  of  the  legislation 
of  1865  and  1881,  above  mentioned.  To  cut  off  all  questions  of 
that  kind,  it  is  provided,  in  substance,  that  the  city  may  go  on  and 
build  a  great  water-way,  and  take  its  chances  as  to  being  allowed 
to  use  it  as  a  means  of  disposing  of  its  sewage.  If  the  declara- 
tion of  John  A.  Roche,  at  the  meeting  at  the  city  hall  in  Decem- 
ber, 1887,  above  referred  to,  is  correctly  stated  by  Mr.  Sanford, 
and  if  that  statement  ha&  any  binding  force  by  reason  of  the 
fact  that  he  was  not  only  mayor  of  Chicago  but  a  member  of  the 
commission  of  1887,  it  would  seem  as  though  the  city  would 
have  small  reason  to  complain  if  its  sewage  was  excluded  from 
the  canal. 


40  AMOUNT    OF    UNNECESSARY    ROCK-CUT. 

THE    USELESS   ROCK-CUT. 

SECTION  23  again.  It  is  further  provided  in  this  section,  that 
while  in  no  case  shall  the  channel  be  less  than  fourteen  feet  deep, 
when  through  rock-cut  it  shall  be  of  the  depth  of  eighteen  feet, 
and  160  feet  wide.  Before  that  clause  in  the  law  was  inserted,  and 
before  its  adoption  by  the  people,  the  length  of  the  rock-cut- 
ting should  have  been  made  known.  The  Herring  report  was 
silent  on  the  subject,  and,  in  fact,  the  length  of  the  jock-cut  has 
never  been  stated  in  any  of  the  reports  of  the  various  engineers 
of  the  Drainage  Commission.  Various  routes  for  the  canal  have 
been  advised  by  the  different  engineers  of  the  Drainage  Board, 
except  Mr.  Cooley,  who,  while  engineer,  never  advised  anything, 
but  remained  "at  large";  the  length  of  the  rock-cutting  may 
vary  some  few  hundred  feet,  depending  on  the  route  adopted, 
but  it  is  about  i6£  miles. 

This  additional  depth  of  the  rock-cut  will  require  the  excava- 
tion of  over  2,000,000  cubic  yards  of  stone,  or  stone  enough  to 
fill  a  strip  of  Lake  Michigan  the  whole  length  of  the  Lake  Front 
from  Park  Row  to  Randolph  Street,  and  twice  as  wide  as  the 
present  Lake  Front  grounds — a  strip  6,000  feet  long,  800  feet 
wide,  and  1 1|-  feet  deep.  This  enormous  quantity  of  stone  is  to 
be  excavated,  not  for  a  channel  for  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water 
per  minute,  but  for  a  channel  of  600,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per 
minute,  which  is  to  be  flowing  through  it  in  the  hopeless  future, 
when  the  United  States  Government  will  pay  for  the  damages  of 
flooding  additional  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres  of  lands  on 
the  Illinois  River  Valley,  caused  by  pouring  that  quantity  of 
water  into  the  Illinois  River.  It  is  no  part  of  the  drainage  sys- 
tem; it  is  that  much  more  than  is  necessary  for  a  flow  of  300,000 
cubic  feet  per  minute,  and  belongs  to  the  nebulous  idea  of  a 
great  water-way.  It  is  a  burden  imposed  upon  Chicago  by  the 
exactions  of  the  people  of  the  valley,  conjointly  with  the  folly 
and  incapacity  of  those  who  undertook  to  represent  the  city,  if 
indeed  baser  motives  of  personal  "  policy  "  had  no  part  in  the 
matter. 

The  pretense  under  which  this  provision  was  made,  for  a 
rock-cut  so  much  deeper  than  the  other  part  of  the  canal,  was 
that  in  case  the  General  Government  should  embark  in  the 
enterprise  above  indicated,  then — the  water  being  in  the  canal — 
rock  excavations  to  enlarge  it  could  not  then  be  made,  and  there- 
fore that  the  rock -cut  must  be  made  in  the  first  instance. 


PREJUDICED   COMMISSIONERS.  41 

This  claim  is  shown  to  be  without  foundation.  Mr.  Arting- 
stall,  a  former  engineer  of  the  Drainage  Commission,  has 
reported  that  the  rock  can  be  excavated  cheaper  under  water 
than  above.  It  is  true  that  Mr.  Cooley  says  that  he  disagrees 
with  Mr.  Artingstall,  but  the  latter  has  a  reputation  for  ability, 
sobriety  of  judgment,  and  perfect  plain  dealing,  and  under  those 
circumstances  it  is  needless  to  discuss  the  relative  value  of  their 
opinions. 

Whether  the  rock  can  be  excavated  after  the  water  is  let  into 
the  canal  cheaper  than  before — that  is  to  say,  whether  wet-cut  is 
cheaper  than  dry-cut — is  immaterial;  it  is  enough  to  know  that 
the  question  of  the  relative  cost  is  a  matter  of  controversy. 
There  can  not  be,  under  such  circumstances,  a  very  great  differ- 
ence, and  the  excavation  by  wet-cut  is  admitted  to  be  entirely 
practicable. 

To  go  ahead  and  expend  at  least  $3,000,000  upon  the  utterly 
improbable  contingency  of  its  becoming  available  by  the  action 
of  the  National  Government,  is  a  proceeding  destitute  of  the 
semblance  of  propriety. 

Mr.  Cooley  does  not  agree  with  Mr.  Artingstall — he  favors 
the  large  cut.  He  will  doubtless  be  found  on  the  side  of  the 
greatest  possible  expenditure,  so  long  as  he  has  any  connection 
with  the  Drainage  Commission. 

COMMISSIONERS    TO    BE    UNFAIRLY    SELECTED. 

SECTION  27.  This  section  provides  that  before  water  shall  be 
let  in  the  canal,  three  commissioners,  one  each  from  in  or  near 
Joliet,  La  Salle,  and  Peoria,  shall  pass  on  the  work,  and  they 
must  report  that  it  has  been  done  in  conformity  with  their  views 
of  the  law,  before  water  is  allowed  to  enter  the  channel.  That 
this  is  unfair  is  obvious  at  a  glance.  The  city  may  expend 
$30,000,000  to  $50,000,000  to  carry  out  the  law,  and  then  men 
must  be  selected  from  localities  which  have  been  most  violent  in 
their  denunciations  of  Chicago,  to  pass  upon  the  work. 

The  law  is  plain  enough  in  its  requirements,  and  it  is  an 
unheard  of  procedure  that  the  only  men  who  are  to  pass  upon  its 
fulfillment,  are  really  parties  to  the  case.  The  provisions  of  the 
law  should  have  been  exactly  the  reverse.  It  should  have  pro- 
vided for  the  appointment  of  men  from  congressional  districts, 
no  part  of  which  consisted  of  territory  bordering  on  either  the 
Kankakee,  Des  Plaines,  or  Illinois  rivers.  The  reasonable  pro- 


42  INCONGRUITY    OF    THE    LAW. 

vision  would  have  been,  to  have  had  the  matter  determined  by 
engineers  from  outside  the  State,  appointed  by  the  Governor,  but 
it  certainly  should  not  be  done  by  men  whose  stock  of  political 
capital,  in  their  several  localties,  consists  in  their  abuse  of 
Chicago. 

As  a  specimen  of  law-drafting  for  a  water-way,  the  act  has  a 
strange  incongruity.  Section  23  provides  that  any  channel 
taking  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  into  the  Des  Plaines  or 
Illinois  rivers,  shall  be  large  enough  to  maintain  a  continuous 
flow  of  at  least  300,000  cubic  feet  a  minute,  with  a  current  not 
more  than  three  miles  an  hour.  It  is  further  provided  that  if 
the  channel  is  made  in  the  Des  Plaines  River,  it  shall  be  opened 
down  a  slope  between  Lockport  and  Joliet  to  the  upper  basin, 
wide  and  deep  enough  to  carry  off  the  water  coming  down  from 
above. 

Now,  there  is  a  slope  from  Lockport  to  the  upper  basin  of 
twenty-eight  feet.  The  distance  is  4^  miles.  A  continuous  flow 
down  such  a  slope  will  be  at  the  rate  of  six  to  eight  miles  an  hour 
or  more,  which  is,  of  course,  too  rapid  for  navigation.  It  thus 
appears  that  by  the  law  a  channel  160  feet  wide  and  eighteen  feet 
deep  is  to  be  excavated  through  solid  rock  a  distance  of  some 
sixteen  miles,  and  to  terminate  in  a  rapid  chute  of  4^  miles  in 
length,  down  a  steep  declivity.  There  is  no  provision  whatever 
for  connecting  this  channel  with  the  water  of  the  Des  Plaines  or 
Illinois  rivers  for  the  purposes  of  navigation. 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  about  the  great  water  power 
which  the  people  of  Chicago  were  to  provide  for  Joliet.  As  to 
the  value  of  water  power,  it  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  the  present 
water  power  at  Joliet  has  never  been  entirely  made  use  of;  and 
further,  there  is  a  superb  water  power  at  Momence  which  has  not 
been  used  for  years.  But  it  is  not  probable  that  any  attempt  will 
be  made  to  create  a  water  power  at  either  Lockport  or  Joliet. 

It  can  only  be  developed  by  the  construction  of  an  aqueduct 
from  a  point  in  "Section  14"  down  to  the  upper  basin.  The 
recent  bids  show  that  the  cost  would  approximate  $6,000,000. 
The  Drainage  Board  are  not  authorized  to  go  into  speculative 
schemes;  they  are  given  the  authority  to  control  any  water  power 
which  may  be  developed  as  an  incident  to  drainage  work,  but 
the  creation  of  independent  work  for  that  purpose  is  not  author- 
ized by  the  law. 

Beside  these  specific  objections  to  the  law,  there  is  the  general 


NOT    A    LAW    FOR    DRAINAGE.  43 

objection  that  a  law  professedly  enacted  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
viding means  to  dispose  of  Chicago  sewage  is  in  fact  a  law  for 
the  building  of  a  great  water-way,  and  nothing  else. 

The  drainage  commissioners  having  inquired  of  their  attorneys 
whether  they  might  not  provide  temporary  relief  to  the  city  of 
Chicago  by  increasing  the  flow  through  the  canal  to  80,000  cubic 
feet  per  minute,  said  attorneys,  on  the  gth  of  March,  1892,  reported 
that  they  could  not;  closing  their  opinion  in  these  words:  "  We 
"find  no  warrant  in  the  law  for  your  affording  relief  to  the  city 
"  of  Chicago  except  through  a  channel  which  shall  conform  to 
"the  requirements  of  the  act  creating  the  district,  as  set  forth  in 
"Section  23  of  said  act." 

Attention  has  thus  been  called  to  some  of  the  more  objection- 
able features  of  the  act,  and  in  this  connection  it  might  appear 
that  the  next  topic  in  order  would  be  the  effort  at  the  last  session 
of  the  Legislature  to  amend  it;  but  before  this,  in  view  of  the 
unjust  and  untrue  statements  that  the  old  Drainage  Board  had 
not  attempted  to  execute  the  law,  it  is  proper  to  review  the 
efforts  made  to  carry  out  the  law  as  it  now  stands,  and,  in  so 
doing,  to  call  attention  to  the  conduct  of  one  man,  who  is  now 
exercising  very  great  influence  in  the  present  Drainage  Board. 


EFFORTS  TO  CARRY  OUT  THE  LAW. 


The  necessity  of  doing  something  to  obviate  existing  evils 
from  Chicago  sewage  was  imperative.  Some,  if  not  all,  the 
Drainage  Commission  were  enthusiastically  in  favor  of  a  great 
water-way;  the  people  had  decided  that  it  should  be  built,  and, 
as  soon  as  elected,  they  set  about  it.  The  old  Drainage  Board 
has  been  the  subject  of  a  good  deal  of  flippant  criticism  on 
account  of  its  alleged  slowness  of  action.  The  most  serious 
charge  that  can  be  brought  against  them  in  that  behalf  is  their 
retention  of  Cooley  until  December,  1891;  why  they  did  not 
forthwith  discharge  him  on  the  2yth  of  August,  1890,  upon  the 
reading  of  his  reply  to  the  letter  of  President  Murry  Nelson,  is 
inconceivable.  It  was  due  to  Mr.  Nelson  that  this  should  have 
been  done  then  and  there.  President  Nelson  wrote  him  August 
i zth,  suggesting  that  he  discontinue  the  setting  water  gauges  in 
the  Des  Plaines  River  and  elsewhere,  as  a  useless  expense.  Mr. 
Cooley  replied  on  the  i8th,  saying,  in  substance,  that  he  should 
do  no  such  thing,  and  that  if  the  board  should  insist  upon  it,  he 
wanted  a  "  commission  of  experts." 

The  first  meeting  of  the  drainage  commissioners  was  held 
Jamiary  18,  1890,  when  a  temporary  organization  was  effected. 
February  i,  a  permanent  organization  was  effected,  rules  and  an 
order  of  business  adopted,  and  permanent  officers  elected,  among 
whom  was  L.  E.  Cooley,  to  be  Chief  Engineer. 

February  6th. — "Resolved,  That  the  Chief  Engineer  is  hereby 
"directed  to  collect  and  secure  for  the  board  all  obtainable  data 
"and  engineering  information  concerning  the  works  necessary 
"to  accomplish  the  purpose  of  the  creation  of  the  sanitary 
"  district." 

February  8th. — An  ordinance  for  the  issuing  of  $1,000,000 
in  bonds  was  passed.  (NOTE. — Wherever  quotations  are  made, 
they  are  taken  from  the  official  printed  proceedings  of  the  board.) 

February  8th. — Chief  Engineer  Cooiey  being  called  upon, 
"stated  that  all  the  work  preliminary  to  the  actual  work  of  con- 
"struction  would  require  till  the  spring  of  1892." 

(44) 


MR.    COOLEY    ''CONTINUES    AT    LARGE."  45 

February  isth. — "On  motion,  Chief  Engineer  Cooley  was 
"permitted  to  have  embodied  in  the  minutes  his  posi- 
tion with  regard  to  the  time  of  construction."  "The  re- 
"port  of  officers  being  called  for,  Chief  Engineer  Cooley 
''speaks  in  reference  to  a  question  as  to  what  steps  should  be 
"taken  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  Congress.  Mr.  Cooley 
"states  he  had  matter  to  present  on  the  subject,  which,  however, 
•'it  may  not  be  'policy'  to  disclose  at  present." 

"Motion  is  made  to  go  into  executive  session,  and  carried." 

The  minutes  are  silent  as  to  the  deep  disclosures  of  Mr.  Cooley 
on  that  memorable  occasion.  On  the  same  day,  however,  the 
board  adopted  a  resolution  in  part  as  follows: 

"  That  the  Chief  Engineer  be  hereby  directed  to  secure  and 
"have  in  readiness  to  proceed  to  work,  at  or  before  May  i,  1890, 
"  a  sufficient  staff  and  force  to  do  all  the  necessary  engineering  work 
"to  enable  the  board  to  commence  the  work  contemplated  by 
"  law,  at  the  earliest  possible  time  thereafter.  Chief  Engineer 
"Cooley  being  called  upon,  explains  that  while  others  were  nu- 
"  meroiis,  specialists  for  his  work  were  few;  that  time  is  required 
"in  which  to  secure  them,  as  well  as  the  necessary  special  instru- 
"  ments  needed.  Mr.  Cooley  then  continues  at  large." 

The  published  proceedings  of  the  board,  as  will  be  seen,  show 
that  he  has  been  ."at  large  "  ever  since.  It  is  rather  a  remark- 
able circumstance,  that  thus  early  in  the  action  of  the  board  an 
employe  should  have  been  allowed  to  usurp  any  such  position 
in  the  board  as  is  indicated  by  the  above  quotations  from 
their  proceedings.  What  business  had  an  employe  to  insist  that 
his  position  as  to  the  time  of  construction,  should  be  incorpo- 
rated in  the  proceedings  of  the  board? 

March  ist. — "The  Chief  Engineer  is  instructed  to  report  to 
"this  board  in  accordance  with  the  resolution  of  February  6th, 
"to  collect  and  collate  data,  etc." 

In  the  meanwhile,  a  case  was  pending  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  to  determine  the  legality  of  the  Drainage  Act,  and 
nothing  further  appears  to  have  been  done  until  June  i4th,  when 
a  meeting  was  held  at  which  President  Nelson  spoke  as  follows: 
"Gentlemen,  we  now  have  the  decision  of  the  Court.  There  is 
"nothing  in  the  way  to  prevent  our  going  ahead  as  rapidly  as 
"possible.  You  all  have  the  same  idea,  no  doubt.  I  have  but  a 
"single  request  to  make,  and  that  is  that  you  be  as  concise  and 


46  MR.    COOLEY    IS    URGED    TO    GREATER    ACTIVITY. 

"  rapid  as  may  be,  that  we  may  get  rid  of  the  accumulation  of 
"studies  we  have  been  pursuing  for  the  last  six  months  and  get 
"direct  to  work." 

On  the  same  day,  "  Chief  Engineer  Cooley  being  called  upon 
"for  report,  asks  for  a  week's  time — granted." 

June  i8th. — "The  Chief  Engineer  is  hereby  authorized  and 
"  directed  to  make  all  necessary  investigations,  borings,  exami- 
"  nations,  and  surveys  between  the  Chicago  River  and  its  south 
"  branches  and  forks,  and  the  summit,  or  thereabouts,  to  enable 
"  the  Board  of  Trustees  to  locate  any  one  of  not  less  than  four 
"  (4)  routes  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  such  channel  as  will 
"  be  according  to  law,  and  also  for  supply  channels  therefor;  and 
"from  that  point  to  Lake  Joliet;  to  make  like  investigations  of 
"the  Des  Plaines  Valley  for  like  purposes,  and  further  examina- 
"tion  to  enable  him  to  inform  the  board  of  the  relation  of  the 
"channel  and  works,  aforesaid,  to  the  sanitary  district,  and  to 
"  all  the  territory  to  be  affected  beneficially  or  otherwise  by  the 
"construction  and  operation  of  said  channels  and  works." 

July  26th. — "  President  Nelson  expressed  some  apprehension 
"  at  the  delay  in  the  Engineering  Department,  and  suggested 
"  that  a  committee  should  be  appointed  to  aid  him." 

"  Mr.  Prendergast  thereupon  moves,  and  Mr.  Wenter  seconds, 
"  the  following  resolution,  and  the  same  is  adopted,  Mr.  Alt- 
"  peter  voting  in  the  negative:  That  a  committee  of  three  (3) 
"  on  Engineering  Department  be  appointed  by  the  President, 
"  which  shall  see  to  the  execution  of  the  orders  of  the  board, 
"  concerning  the  engineers'  work  of  the  district." 

"  President  Nelson  appointed  as  the  committee,  Messrs. 
"  Hotz,  Wenter,  and  Prendergast." 

September  gth  is  the  following: 

"  WHEREAS,  The  Engineer  was  requested  to  state  in  open 
"meeting,  on  July  i,  1890,  whether  he  had  sufficient  means  of 
"  all  kinds,  by  reason  of  the  action  of  the  board  up  to  and  on 
"that  date,  for  furnishing  means  to  carry  out  the  resolution  of 
"  June  18,  1890,  and  further,  to  state  at  what  time  he  would  be 
"  able  to  file  such  a  report  as  would  enable  the  board  to  locate  a 
"  route  as  far  as  Summit,  conforming  to  the  resolution  of  June 
"  18,  1890,  and  to  file  a  petition  to  condemn  the  lands  necessary 
"  for  such  a  route;  and, 


MR.    COOLEY    DIRECTED    TO    FILE    A    REPORT.  47 

"WHEREAS,  The  Engineer  then  and  there  stated  that  he  had 
"all  means  necessary  for  that  purpose,  and  that  such  report 
"  would  be  ready  for  the  board's  action  within  one  hundred  days 
"  from  the  ist  day  of  July;  therefore,  be  it 

^Resolved,  That  the  Engineer  be  directed  to  file  such  report 
"within  thirty  days  from  this  day." 

"The  roll  being  called  on  the  passage  of  the  resolution, 
"  Messrs.  Hotz,  Prendergast,  Willing,  and  President  Nelson  (4) 
"  voted  aye;  Messrs.  Gilmore,  King,  and  Wenter  (3)  voting  no, 
"  Mr.  Altpeter  not  voting,  and  Mr.  Russell  being  absent  from  the 
"room.  President  Nelson  declared  the  motion  passed." 

September  roth. — "Resolved,  That  the  Committee  on  Engi- 
"  neering  be  instructed  to  confer  with  the  Chief  Engineer,  to 
"  examine  the  work  of  the  Engineering  Department  to  date, 
"and  report  to  this  board  at  the  earliest  practicable  time,  with 
"such  recommendations  as  they  may  deem  best." 

October  i5th. — "The  Chief  Engineer  submitted  the  follow- 
"ing  letter,  which  was  read: 

"ENGINEERING    DEPARTMENT, 
"  SANITARY  DISTRICT  OF  CHICAGO, 
"  RIALTO  BUILDING,  CHICAGO,  October  15,  1890. 

"  To  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago. 

"GENTLEMEN:  I  am  unable  to  file  the  report  called  for  by 
"  resolution  of  September  pth,  at  this  time.  I  had  intended  to 
"  lay  before  you  at  this  meeting  a  communication  in  relation  to 
"  this  report.  I  have  been  unable  to  prepare  this,  as  my  time 
"has  been  too  fully  occupied  by  the  Committee  on  Engineering. 
"  I  can  lay  this  matter  before  the  board  by  Friday,  if  the  board 
"  desires,  or  at  the  next  regular  meeting  of  the  board. 
"  Very  respectfully, 

"  L.  E.  COOLEY, 
"  Chief  Engineer." 

November  yth. — "  The  Committee  on  Engineering  Depart- 
"ment  presented  the  following  report,  viz: 

"  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMITTEE  ON    ENGINEERING. 

"  The  Committee  on  Engineering  begs  leave  to  report  that, 
"  pursuant  to  directions  of  the  board  heretofore  given,  the  com- 
"  mittee  has  investigated  the  progress  of  the  work  of  the  Engi- 


48  ENGINEERING    COMMITTEE    ON    MR.    COOLEY. 

"  neering  Department,  and,  without  at  this  time  going  into  details, 
"states  the  result  of  its  investigation  to  be: 

"  First.  That  the  Engineer  acknowledges  that  he  informed 
"the  board,  on  or  prior  to  July  i,  1890,  that  a  report  would 
"be  filed,  within  100  days  from  that  time,  sufficiently  com- 
"plete  to  enable  the  board  to  locate  the  route  of  the  main 
"  channel  between  the  Chicago  River  and  the  summit,  and  that 
•'on  September  i3th  a  statement  confirmatory  of  the  above  was 
"  made  to  the  committee  by  the  Engineer,  he  then  promising  to 
"file  such  a  report  by  October  isth.  No  such  report  has  been 
"  filed,  and  none  is  ready  to  be  filed,  and  the  nearest  thing  to 
"  fulfillment  of  that  promise  that  the  committee  can  discover  is, 
'•  that  the  Engineer  now  promises  to  report  perhaps  by  Christ- 
"  mas,  and  perhaps  not  for  a  considerable  time  thereafter;  but 
"  even  as  to  this  report,  he  states  that  it  will  not  be  sufficiently 
"complete  to  enable  the  location  of  the  route  of  the  main  channel 
"at  the  place  indicated;  hence,  such  a  report  as  is  now  promised 
"  would  be  valueless. 

"  Second.  The  expenditures  of  the  department  are  nearly 
"double  what  the  Engineer  informed  the  board  they  would  be, 
"  at  the  time  the  final  ordinances  were  being  prepared  for  the 
'•raising  of  the  funds. 

"  Third.  At  all  times,  and  especially  since  the  decision  of 
"the  Supreme  Court  affirming  the  validity  of  the  act  under 
"  which  the  board  is  organized,  it  has  been  the  desire  and  judg- 
"  ment  of  the  board,  as  the  Engineer  knew  at  all  times,  that  the 
"channel  between  the  Chicago  River  and  Summit  should  be 
"  located  at  the  earliest  practical  moment.  Not  the  least  reason 
"for  this  judgment  is  the  fact  that  the  land  in  that  vicinity  is 
"  rapidly  increasing  in  price. 

"  Fourth.  It  seems  to  the  committee  that  there  has  been  too 
"great  scattering  of  forces  generally,  and  too  little  concentra- 
"  tion  of  forces  on  this  portion  of  the  work. 

"  As  the  result  of  its  investigations,  the  committee  believes 
"that  up  to  date  the  work  of  the  department  has  not  been 
"sufficiently  energetic  and  practical.  In  view  of  the  fact  that 
"  the  Engineer  is  now  continually  calling  for  increase  of  force,  and 
"  other  expenditures  largely  in  excess  of  that  formerly  indicated 
"by  him  as  the  proper  and  sufficient  amount,  and  as  the  com- 
"  mittee  has  found  an  insufficiency  of  practical  results  yet 
"obtained,  and  as  the  Engineer  claims  that  notwithstanding  the 


THE  BOARD  IN  TROUBLE  ABOUT  ITS  PROPERTY.      49 

"  findings  of  the  committee,  he  has  pushed  the  work  with  proper 
"  speed  and  economy,  the  committee  recommends  the  employ- 
"  ment  of  a  consulting  engineer,  and  further  that  the  statements 
"  of  the  Engineer,  which  are  in  type-writing,  be  referred  to  the 
"  attorney,  with  the  request  for  an  opinion  as  to  the  limitations 
"of  the  power  of  the  board.  CHRISTOPH  HOTZ, 

.•:•  "Chairman. 

"CHICAGO,  November  7,  1890." 

"  On  motion  of  Mr.  Willing,  seconded  by  Mr.  Gilmore,  the 
"  report  was  received  and  adopted,  Messrs.  Altpeter,  Gilmore, 
"  Hotz,  Prendergast,  Willing,  and  President  Nelson  (6)  voting 
"aye;  Mr.  Wenter  voting  no." 

November  ipth. — "Messrs.  Willing  and  Prendergast  each 
"  questioned  Chief  Engineer  Cooley  as  to  whether  the  data  and 
"  memoranda  in  the  possession  of  himself  and  employes  in  the 
"  Engineering  Department,  collected,  collated,  and  obtained 
"  during  working  hours,  and  at  the  expense  of  the  sanitary 
"  district,  was  to  be  considered  as  personal  or  private  prop- 
"  erty,  or  property  of  the  sanitary  district,  to  which  Chief 
"  Engineer  Cooley  replied  that  it  was  the  property  of  the  sani- 
"  tary  district. 

"Mr.  Prendergast  presented  the  following,  viz.: 

"Resolved,  That  the  Engineering  Department,  and  all  officers, 
"  members,  and  employes  thereof,  be  directed  to  preserve  and 
"  file  with  that  department  all  data  and  memoranda  now  or 
"  hereafter  in  their  possession,  and  to  destroy  nothing  of  that 
"kind." 

November  26th. — '•'•Resolved,  That  the  Chief  Engineer  be,  and 
"  he  is  hereby  directed,  to  suspend  immediately  all  field  or  other 
"work  upon  the  Upper  Des  Plaines  River,  except  gauges,  and 
"  all  work  outside  of  the  district  and  below  Joliet,  and  to  make 
"additional  surveys  and  borings  between  Chicago  and  Summit, 
11  if  such  additional  investigations  shall  be  necessary,  and  to 
"  make  compilations  from  such  field  notes  and  other  data  as  are 
"  now  in  his  control,  or  the  control  of  the  employes  of  the  board, 
"  or  which  shall  be  obtained  in  accordance  with  this  resolution, 
"  so  as  to  enable  the  board  to  locate  any  one  of  not  less  than 
"  four  (4)  routes  for  the  main  channel  between  Chicago  and 
"  Summit,  and  that  he  make  report  thereon  to  this  board,  with 
"  all  convenient  speed. 

4 


50  MR.  COOLEY  MUST  DELIVER  PAPERS. 

"On  the  roll-call,  Messrs. 'Gilmore,  Hotz,  Prendergast,  and 
"  Willing  (4)  voted  aye,  and  Messrs.  Altpeter,  Russell,  and  Wenter 
"  (3)  voted  no,  whereupon  the  resolution  was  passed. 

"  A  roll-call  on  the  following  was  then  taken: 

"  Resolved,  further,  That  the  Chief  Engineer  be,  and  he  is 
"  hereby  directed  to  abstain  from  obtaining  information  concern- 
"  ing  land  values  and  facts  of  record  in  the  Recorder's  office, 
"relating  to  the  territory  between  Chicago  and  Summit,  until 
"  the  further  order  of  this  board.  These  resolutions  not  to  apply 
"  to  the  investigation  of  the  South  Branch  heretofore  specially 
"  ordered. 

"  On  the  roll-call,  Messrs.  Altpeter,  Gilmore,  Hotz,  Prender- 
"gast,  and  Willing  (5)  voted  aye,  and  Messrs.  Russell  and 
'•  Wenter  (2)  voted  no,  whereupon  the  resolution  was  passed." 

December  loth. — "  Mr.  Willing  presented  the  following  reso- 
"  lution,  viz.: 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Chief  Engineer  be,  and  he  hereby  is 
"instructed  and  directed  to  deliver  forthwith  to  the  clerk  the 
"documents,  notes,  and  materials,  and  all  copies  thereof,  relating 
"  to  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Federal  Relations. 

"  Mr.  Willing  moved,  and  Mr.  Hotz  seconded,  the  passage  of 
"  the  said  resolution,  and  the  same  was  adopted. 

"  On  the  roll-call,  Messrs.  Altpeter,  Gilmore,  Hotz,  Willing, 
"  and  President  Prendergast  (5)  voting  aye,  Mr.  Wenter  (i)  voting 
"  no,  and  Mr.  Russell  (i)  not  voting. 

"Mr.  Willing  offered  the  following  resolution,  viz.: 

"  Resolve  j,  That  Chief  Engineer  Cooley  be  instructed  to 
"deliver  into  the  vaults  of  this  board  to-morrow,  Thursday 
"  morning,  December  1 1,  1890,  the  report  on  Federal  Relations,  in 
"  its  present  condition,  and  all  copies  thereof  in  his  possession, 
"or  under  his  control. 

"  Mr.  Willing  moved  the  adoption  of  the  said  resolution,  sec- 
"  ended  by  Mr.  Gilmore,  and  the  same  was  passed. 

"  On  the  roll-call,  Messrs.  Altpeter,  Gilmore,  Hotz,  Russell, 
"  Willing,  and  President  Prendergast  (6)  voted  aye,  Mr.  Wenter 
"  (i)  voted  no. 

"Resolved,  That  Gen.  John  Newton  be,  and  he  is  hereby 
"  made  consulting  engineer  upon  a  compensation  to  be  fixed  by 
"the  Finance  Committee,  after  consultation  with  Gen.  Newton, 
"and  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  board. 

"On   the  roll-call,  Messrs.  Altpeter,  Gilmore,  Hotz,  Russell, 


DILATOR1NESS   OF    MR.    COOLEY.  51 

"  Wenter,  Willing,  and  President  Prendergast  (7)  voted  aye, 
"  noes  none;  whereupon  it  was  declared  unanimously  passed. 

"  In  response  to  an  inquiry  by  President  Prendergast,  Chief 
"  Engineer  Cooley  said  that  his  report,  as  also  a  copy  thereof,  on 
"  the  subject  matter  relating  to  '  federal  relations,'  was  at  his 
"  private  residence;  that  Mr.  Rooney,  one  of  his  subordinates, 
"  had  another  copy  in  his  possession,  and  that  those  two  were  the 
"  only  copies  in  existence. 

"  Mr.  Hotz  presented  the  following  resolution,  and  moved  its 
"  adoption,  seconded  by  Mr.  Willing: 

"  Resolved,  That  the  employment  and  tenure  of  office  of  L. 
"  E.  Cooley,  Esq.,  as  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Sanitary  District  of 
"  Chicago,  be,  and  the  same  is,  hereby  terminated. 

"  On  the  roll-call,  Messrs.  Altpeter,  Gilmore,  Hotz,  Willing, 
"  and  President  Prendergast  (5)  voted  aye,  and  Messrs.  Rus- 
"  sell  and  Wenter  (2)  voted  no,  whereupon  the  said  resolution 
"  was  duly  passed." 

The  foregoing  extracts  from  the  printed  proceedings  of  the 
Drainage  Commission  show  their  earnestness  and  activity  to 
carry  out  the  law.  It  thus  appears  that  the  board  were  earnestly, 
nay,  even  impatiently,  pushing  forward  the  engineering  work; 
two  engineers  of  large  experience  and  high  standing  have  stated 
to  the  writer  that  one  well-equipped  engineering  party  could 
have  made  a  thorough  preliminary  survey  of  the  route,  from  Chi- 
cago to  Joliet,  in  thirty  days.  The  Herring  Commission  had  from 
April  ist  to  January,  and  Mr.  Cooley,  with  all  that  Herring  had 
done  at  his  disposal,  had  from  July  ist  until  December.  The 
fact  was,  that  Cooley  frittered  away  time  and  money  in  useless  de- 
tails; the  work  to  be  done  was  to  dig  a  ditch  from  Chicago  to 
Joliet,  and  his  paramount  duty  was  to  locate  one  or  more  routes, 
and  give  their  cost.  Instead  of  that,  he  was  dawdling  around  the 
country  with  "a  reconnaissance  of  the  Illinois  Valley,"  "a  com- 
prehensive investigation  of  the  water-sheds  of  the  Des  Plaines 
and  Chicago  rivers,"  "with  the  distribution  of  population,"  with 
"hydraulic  investigations,"  with  "a  topographical  reconnaissance 
of  the  country  north  and  west  of  the  drainage  district,"  etc.  See 
his  statement  in  the  drainage  proceedings,  pages  43  and  44. 

As  appears  by  the  proceedings  of  February  8,  1890,  above 
quoted,  Mr.  Cooley  was  then  laying  out  the  ground  for  a  life 
interest  in  his  employment.  He  had  been  chief  assistant  to 
Mr.  Herring,  and  knew  what  had  been  done  by  that  commission, 


52  WORTHLESSNESS   OF   COOLEY. 

and  yet  he  stated  that  it  would  require  two  years  of  engineering 
before  a  spadeful  of  earth  could  be  turned. 

It  would  seem,  further,  from  the  proceedings  of  the  board, 
that  they  entertained  apprehensions  that' the  subordinates  con- 
sidered their  books  of  field  notes  as  private  property.  That 
those  subordinates  were  devoted  to  Cooley,  rather  than  to  their 
employer,  was  shown  by  the  fact  that,  when  Cooley  was  dis- 
missed, they,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  either  left  or  were  dis- 
missed for  insubordination. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  office  of  chief  engineer,  Mr. 
Cooley  published  a  large  double-column  pamphlet,  of  some  125 
pages,  with  the  title  "The  Lake  and  Gulf  Water-way  as  Related 
to  the  Chicago  Sanitary  Problem." 

How  much  of  it  related  to  the  Chicago  sanitary  problem,  and 
of  what  value  his  services  were,  as  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  drain- 
age district,  in  locating  a  route,  and  to  what  extent  he  devoted 
himself  to  that  work,  and  how  far  he  chose  to  obey  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  board,  as  contained  in  the  resolutions  of  February 
6th,  March  ist,  June  i8th,  and  September  pth,  may  be  judged 
from  the  following  extracts  from  the  preface  to  that  pamphlet: 

"This  report  was  practically  completed  ten  months  ago,  but 
"  as  the  policy  herein  outlined  was  not  in  harmony  with  that  of 
"  the  majority  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  sanitary  district 
"  it  has  not  been  published.  *  *  *  *  It  is  now  placed  before  the 
"  public  in  very  nearly  its  original  form.  *  *  *  *  Readers  who 
"  look  for  a  discussion  of  the  sanitary  problem  of  Chicago  will  be 
"  disappointed.  The  available  data  had  been  practically  ex- 
"  hausted  by  the  labors  of  the  Drainage  and  Water-supply  Com- 
"  mission  of  1886  and  1887  (the  Herring  Commission),  and  of  the 
"  State  Board  of  Health." 

The  value  of  the  Herring  report  has  been  considered,  and 
what  the  State  Board  of  Health  had  to  do  with  locating  the 
route  for  a  canal  from  Chicago  to  Joliet,  is  something  that  no 
one  but  Mr.  Cooley  can  understand. 

On  December  17,  1890,  Mr.  Worthen  was  made  Chief  Engi- 
neer, and  on  January  i3th  Messrs.  Worthen  and  Newton  made 
a  report  as  to  the  cost  of  a  canal  from  Chicago  to  Joliet,  to  be 
built  in  accordance  with  the  Drainage  Act,  as  being  $22, 700,000. 

In  a  further  report,  made  February  2ist,  they  declared  that 
the  present  canal  must  be  widened  and  deepened,  and  estimated 
the  expense  of  that  work  at  $3,200,000. 


COOLEY,    WILLIAMS,    AND    KURD    OPPOSE    AMENDMENT.          53 

It  was  broadly  stated  in  the  first  report  that  provision  must 
be  made  for  an  additional  supply  of  water,  but  they  made  no  sug- 
gestion as  to  what  additional  supply  was  necessary,  nor  how  it 
was  to  be  procured,  and  the  probable  cost,  nor  any  estimate  of 
the  cost  of  right  of  way. 

With  an  estimate  of  $26,000,000  for  labor  and  material  to 
construct  the  work,  and  the  obvious  necessity  for  several  millions 
of  dollars  more  for  right  of  way,  and  for  an  additional  supply  of 
water,  and  for  bridges,  etc.,  staring  them  in  the  face,  the  com- 
missioners sought  relief  by  having  the  act  amended,  so  as  not  to 
require  the  unnecessary  rock-cut  and  the  superfluous  quantity  of 
water. 

THE  EFFORT  TO  AMEND  THE  ACT. 

On  the  7th  of  March,  1891,  the  board  adopted  a  minute, 
addressed  to  the  citizens  of  the  drainage  district,  in  which  was 
set  forth,  in  substance,  their  inability  to  construct  the  canal  as 
required  by  law  with  the  means  provided,  and  the  necessity  of 
its  amendment  in  the  two  particulars  of  the  useless  rock- 
cut  and  the  unnecessary  quantity  of  water  required;  and  on 
March  21,  1891,  a  resolution  was  adopted  that  the  act  ought  to 
be  amended  in  those  respects,  and  also  in  the  provision  limiting 
the  use  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  to  that  portion 
within  Cook  County. 

In  pursuance  of  that  resolution,  a  member  of  the  Drainage 
Board  went  to  Springfield,  in  the  spring  of  1891,  to  present  and 
urge  the  proposed  amendments  before  the  Legislature,  which 
was  then  in  session.  Benzette  Williams  saw  in  this  move  some- 
thing which  threatened  his  "  policy";  L.  E.  Cooley  of  Evanston 
likewise  saw  something  which  threatened  the  possibility  of  a 
future  fat  salary  for  little  work,  and  they  hastened  to  Springfield 
to  oppose  the  amendment.  Harvey  B.  Hurd  of  Evanston  was 
also  on  hand  in  opposition  to  the  proposed  amendment.  This 
is  no  place  to  indulge  in  personalities,  but  the  wonderful  devo- 
tion of  Mr.  Hurd  to  the  sanitary  interests  of  Chicago,  and  his 
eagerness  in  behalf  of  this  idiotic  drainage  scheme,  require 
explanation.  It  has  been  charged  against  him  that  his  interest 
is  purely  personal;  that  he  is  interested  in  a  tract  of  swamp 
lands  on  the  Des  Plaines  River,  north  of  Chicago,  which  he  ex- 
pects will  be  drained,  if  the  water-way  scheme  goes  through. 
Whether  the  charge  be  true  or  not,  he  does  not  live  in  Chicago. 


54  EFFORT    TO    AMEND    FAILS. 

He  has  not  established  any  particular  reputation  as  a  public- 
spirited  citizen,  and  to  those  who  know  his  record  as  revisor  of 
the  statutes  of  Illinois,  who  remember  what  was  said  of  him 
when  he  was  candidate  for  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and, 
later,  his  record  as  County  Commissioner  of  Cook  County,  his 
opinion  will  have  no  special  weight.  He  should  have  no  voice  in 
the  settlement  of  the  question. 

The  river  valley  people  were  frantic  in  their  denunciation 
of  the  proposed  changes.  The  Chicago  members  of  the  Legis- 
lature were  divided;  some  were  indifferent,  some  incapable  of  un- 
derstanding the  necessity  of  the  case,  some  were  either  out-and- 
out  water-way  men,  or  were  under  the  control  of  men  who  were, 
and  some  were  either  personally  or  politically  hostile  to  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  Drainage  Board,  and  so  the  effort  to  amend 
proved  abortive.  The  city  of  Chicago  and  the  Drainage  Board 
were  represented  by  a  public  officer;  he  was  one  of  the  men  to 
whom  had  been  confided  the  work  of  executing  the  law.  After 
a  careful  study,  aided  by  the  best  engineering  ability  in  the 
country  (Messrs.  Worthen  and  Newton),  they  had  found  the 
execution  of  the  law  impracticable,  and  sought  to  have  it  amended. 
Mr.  Benzette  Williams  of  Salt  Creek,  and  Messrs.  Hurd  and 
Cooley  of  Evanston,  joined  the  valley  people  in  resisting  the 
amendment.  Cooley  is  now  commissioner,  and  Williams  Chief 
Engineer. 

CHANGES  IN  THE  BOARD. 

As  originally  constituted,  the  board  consisted  of  six  members 
elected  upon  a  citizens'  ticket  and  three  members  elected  on  the 
Democratic  ticket;  of  these,  three  of  the  men  elected  on  the  citi- 
zens' ticket,  viz.,  Messrs.  Nelson,  Hotz,  and  Willing,  and  one  upon 
the  Democratic  ticket,  Mr.  John  A.  King,  have  resigned.  Some, 
and  probably  all  of  them,  did  this  because  they  were  convinced 
of  the  impracticability  of  the  law,  and  further  that  they  would 
not  be  parties  to  the  imposition  of  such  a  ruinous  and  wholly 
unnecessary  burden  of  taxation  upon  the  people  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Murry  Nelson  is  an  old  and  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Chicago,  and  well  known  as  a  man  of  great  public  spirit.  Mr. 
Willing  is  a  retired  merchant;  he  was  for  many  years  an  active 
member  of  the  great  mercantile  firm  of  Marshall  Field  &  Co. 
Mr.  Hotz  is  a  prominent  German,  and  is  the  managing  partner 
of  the  great  wagon  manufacturing  firm  of  Scheuttler  &  Hotz. 


CHANGES   IN    THE    BOARD.  55 

John  A.  King  is  president  of  one  of  the  National  Banks  of  Chi- 
cago. All  of  them  are  men  of  large  means. 

On  the  2  ist  of  April,  1891,  the  resignations  of  Messrs.  Worthen 
as  Chief,  and  of  Gen.  Newton  as  Consulting  Engineer,  were 
accepted  by  the  board.  These  two  men  were  of  national  repu- 
tation; they  had  been  in  office  only  about  three  months;  their 
salaries  were  each  $10,000  per  annum;  it  is  fair  to  infer  that  they 
accepted  the  positions  with  the  expectation  of  retaining  them,  and, 
in  the  absence  of  any  other  reason  given,  it  is  reasonable  to  con- 
clude that  they  resigned  because  they  looked  upon  the  drainage 
scheme  as  a  huge  fraud,  and  would  not  be  identified  with 
it.  There  is  now  one  vacancy  and  three  new  members,  viz., 
Eckhart,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  that  passed  the 
act,  and  a  member  of  the  Legislative  Commission  of  1887,  before 
referred  to,  and  who  is,  or  at  least  has  been,  a  pronounced  advocate 
of  a  great  water-way;  then  there  is  the  Cooley  aforesaid,  and 
a  Mr.  Boldenwick  from  Lake  View,  who  is  said  to  be  a  mild  type 
of  water-way  enthusiast  and  an  industrious  politician.  Mr. 
Wenter  has  been  made  president  of  the  board. 

One  of  their  first  acts  was  to  oust  Mr.  Artingstall  from  the 
position  of  Chief  Engineer,  and  install  Mr.  Benzette  Williams,  of 
Bridgeport  pumps,  etc.,  memory,  in  his  place.  To  the  extent  of 
having  secured  a  salary  of  $9,000  per  annum,  he  is  reaping  the 
benefit  of  his  "policy."  They  have  undone  all  that  their  pre- 
decessors did,  and  have  been  making  furious  efforts  to  show  how 
quickly  they  are  going  to  build  a  canal;  in  addition  to  a  route 
laid  out  by  Messrs.  Worthen  and  Newton,  and  another  by  Mr. 
Artingstall,  they  had  some  five  other  routes  planned  by  Mr. 
Williams,  and  Cooley  had  a  project  for  still  another.  Mr.  Williams 
and  his  old-time  associate  Cooley  have  been  at  outs  as  to  the 
route,  and  the  former  wanted  a  commission  of  a  board  of  "experts" 
to  decide  the  matter.  These  Chief  Engineers  are  strong  on  the 
"expert"  question.  This  "expert"  business  is  a  good  deal  like  the 
making  of  silver  shrines  for  Diana  of  the  Ephesians,  of  some  two 
thousand  years  ago;  it  "  brings  no  small  gain  unto  the  craftsmen." 

It  may  be  claimed  that  the  conduct  of  the  Drainage  Board  in 
letting  contracts  and  in  purchasing  real  estate,  are  evidences  of 
their  present  disposition  to  push  the  work  forward  to  a  speedy 
completion.  Some  of  the  members  of  the  board  may  have  that 
idea,  but  so  far  as  Mr.  Cooley  is  concerned  the  only  way  to  judge 
of  him  for  the  future,  is  by  the  past. 


56  CHARACTER    OF    PRESENT    BOARD. 

The  history  of  the  Engineering  Department  gives  good  foun- 
dation for  the  belief  that  the  present  hurried  movement  is  made 
for  the  purpose  of  fastening  the  "  policy  "  of  building  this  big 
ditch  upon  the  public,  and  as  a  measure  of  resistance  to  any 
attempt  to  repeal  the  law. 

When  these  ends  are  secured,  it  will  probably  be  found  that 
drainage  work  will  go  slow  enough  to  afford  life-long  employ- 
ment to  some  of  the  men  now  engaged  in  it,  and  in  the  meantime 
the  people  of  Chicago  will  get  along  as  best  they  can,  for  a  decent 
water  supply. 

The  records  of  some  of  these  men  have  been  given.  It  is 
enough  to  say  of  Mr.  Wenter  that  he  voted  against  the  resolu- 
tion of  September  9,  1890,  calling  upon  Cooley  for  a  report;  he 
voted  against  the  report  of  the  Engineering  Cormiittee  of  Novem- 
ber 7,  1890;  he  voted  against  the  resolution  of  November  26,  1890, 
directing  the  Engineer  to  confine  his  work  to  the  route  between 
Chicago  and  Joliet;  he  voted  against  the  resolution  of  December 
10,  1890,  calling  upon  the  Engineer  to  turn  over  certain  papers  to 
the  Engineering  Committee,  and  voted  against  the  dismissal  of 
Cooley  on  the  same  day. 

On  July  22,  1891,  the  old  Drainage  Board  adopted  a  route 
for  the  canal  between  Bridgeport  and  Summit,  in  pursuance  of 
the  recommendations  of  Chief  Engineer  Artingstall.  Mr.  Wenter 
was  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Engineering,  and  signed  the 
report  approving  the  route,  and  he  also  voted  for  the  route,  yet 
upon  a  resolution  that  the  Chief  Engineer  employ  the  necessary 
assistance  for  locating  it,  Mr.  Wenter  voted  no.  What  the 
future  will  disclose  as  to  the  character  of  the  present  board,  of 
which  Mr.  Wenter  is  president,  remains  to  be  seen. 


THE  COST  OF   THE    PROPOSED   WATER 
CHANNEL. 


Something  like  a  half  million  of  dollars  has  been  expended, 
and  yet  we  have  no  definite  statement  of  the  work  to  be  done, 
nor  estimate  of  its  cost. 

Many  people  have  an  idea  that  when  a  channel  is  completed, 
through  which  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute  may  course 
from  the  Chicago  River  to  the  upper  basin,  the  work  will  be 
done;  members  of  the  Drainage  Commission  are  rubbing  their 
hands  in  gleeful  fatuity  over  the  opportunity  of  letting  con- 
tracts to  the  amount  of  $10,700,000  for  excavations  to  be  made 
between  Willow  Springs  and  Lockport,  as  a  huge  stride  toward 
the  creation  of  a  great  water-way. 

No  one  ever  doubted  that  $10,700,000  in  money  would  dig 
out  a  good  deal  of  earth  and  stone,  but  a  great  many  have 
believed,  and  do  still  believe,  that  this  is  but  an  inconsiderable 
part  of  the  expenditure  involved  in  the  completed  work. 

It  is  worth  while,  then,  to  review  these  contracts,  and  note 
what  will  be  accomplished  by  their  fulfillment,  and  what  will  still 
remain  to  be  done.  On  the  i7th  February,  1892,  the  Engineer 
of  the  Drainage  Board  reported  that  Route  3,  from  Willow 
Springs  to  the  upper  basin,  would  require  4,613  acres  of  land, 
and  that  the  cost  of  the  excavation  would  be  $10,777,320.  This 
route  was  adopted  by  the  board  March  2,  1892.  On  June  8, 
bids  for  this  work  were  opened,  and  the  lowest  bid  was  $17,105,- 
935.83.  The  Engineer's  estimate  was  too  small  by  the  sum  of 
$6,328,615.83.  Or,  his  estimate  covered  about  60  per  cent,  of 
the  lowest  bid  that  could  be  obtained.  Commentary  upon  such  an 
estimate  is  superfluous. 

It  would  seem  that  some  such  outcome  was  expected,  for  two 
other  propositions  were  put  forward;  by  the  first,  the  board  was 
to  keep  the  channel  dry  and  remove  all  the  stone  and  dirt.  It 
would  seem  as  though  this  plan  was  devised  so  that  a  low  bid 
might  be  secured,  and  that,  as  in  the  past,  their  extravagant  bills 
had  been  paid  every  month  without  observation,  so,  monthly 
bills  for  keeping  the  channel  dry,  and  removing  the  earth  and 

(57) 


58  SCHEMES   TO    SECURE    LOW    BIDS. 

rock  excavated,  would  also  pass  without  criticism.  The  bids  for 
the  work  under  this  scheme  were  $10,111,731.87. 

The  commissioners  had  still  another  project,  and  that  was  to 
stop  the  work  at  Section  14,  near  Lockport;  the  distance  from 
Willow  Springs  to  the  upper  basin  was  i8f  miles,  and  this  prop- 
osition was  to  dig  this  ditch  from  Willow  Springs,  and  stop  about 
4^  miles  short  of  the  upper  basin,  they  "reserving  the  right  to 
"  make  all  river,  canal,  and  railway  changes  independent  of  the 
"main  work." 

The  lowest  bids  for  this  work  amount  to  $10,696,754.98. 

The  Drainage  Board  concluded  that  they  did  not  have 
$17,000,000  handy,  and  so  they  abandoned  any  idea  of  a 
contract  for  the  work  from  Willow  Springs  to  the  upper  basin. 

A  sort  of  partnership  between  the  Drainage  Commission  and 
the  contractors,  by  which  the  latter  were  to  loosen  the  dirt 
and  rock,  and  the  former  carry  it  off,  was  objected  to  by  some  of 
the  working  majority  of  the  board,  and  that  had  to  be  aban- 
doned; the  only  alternative  was  to  fall  back  on  the  short  job. 

On  the  1 8th  of  Pune,  the  joint  committees  of  the  board 
(which  constitute  a  majority  of  the  board)  reported  in  favor  of 
undertaking  the  work  on  the  short  job  upon  the  basis  of  bids 
amounting  to  $10,696,754.98. 

The  grand  project  of  a  magnificent  water-way  from  Chicago 
to  the  Mississippi  dwindled,  first,  to  a  useless  water  power  at 
Joliet,  and,  in  their  report  of  June  i8th,  above  referred  to,  it 
slumps  to  the  proportions  of  "  a  tail-race,"  and  the  expenditure  of 
thirty-odd  millions  of  dollars  this  side  of  Lockport  is  to  be 
made  in  order  to  create  a  feeder  for  it. 

In  the  report  of  June  i8th,  above  referred  to,  the  committee 
say  as  much,  and  that  must  be  taken  as  their  final  word,  until 
they  speak  again. 

A  rock-cut  channel,  fourteen  miles  long,  160  feet  wide,-  and 
eighteen  feet  deep  is  to  be  cut  and  a  channel  costing  $10,000,000 
from  Bridgeport  to  Willow  Springs,  and  $6,000,000  or  $8,000,000 
more  are  to  be  expended  for  the  enlargement  of  Chicago  River, 
and  all  to  terminate  in  a  tail-race. 

Slight  as  are  the  claims  to  respect  of  water-way  enthusiasts, 
a  proposition  to  expend  this  amount  of  money  for  such  a  pur- 
pose can  scarcely  be  credited  to  them;  but  their  plans  for  a 
water-way  have  broken  down,  and  they  must  do  something;  that 
something,  as  they  say  in  their  report,  is  to  wait  until  they  can 


COST    OF    WORK.  59 

get  more  money,  or  until  the  Federal  Government  takes  hold  of 
the  matter. 

As  above  stated,  the  lowest  bids  amounted  to  $10,696,754.98. 

The  joint  committee  further  say,  "  there  must  be  added,  the 
"cost  of  right  of  way,  structures  (such  as  bridges,  dams,  etc.), 
"  and  work  not  submitted  to  bids. 

"  That  the  cost  of  right  of  way  may  be  assumed  for  present 
purposes  to  be  $800,000." 

The  engineer  reported  on  the  iyth  of  February,  1892,  that 
the  structures,  etc.,  requisite  on  Route  3  would  cost  $677,000. 

Making  an  aggregate  of $12,173,754.98 

To  this  should   be  added  2^  per  cent,  for  con- 
tingencies, and  a  like  amount  for  engineering          608,687.74 


$12,782,442.72 
To  this  must  be  added  the  cost  of  the  sluice-way, 

which  the  joint  committee  report  at. 1,500,000.00 

This  makes  an  aggregate  for  the  expense  of  the 
water  channel  from  Willow  Springs  to  the 
upper  basin  of $14,282,442.72 

And  beside  all  this,  there  is  "the  work  not  submitted  to  bids." 

In  this  presentation  of  the  case,  it  must  be  remembered  that 
the  only  solid  ground  we  have,  is  that  of  the  bids;  for  the  cost  of 
the  tail-race,  of  bridges,  moving  of  railroad  tracks,  and  of  the 
right  of  way,  we  have  to  depend  upon  the  report  of  the  Drain- 
age Commission  and  its  Chief  Engineer. 

If  his  estimate  of  the  cost  of  excavating  Route  No.  3  is 
a  fair  sample  of  his  work,  then  large  additions  to  his  figures 
must  be  made.  Of  "  the  work  not  submitted  to  bids,"  the  public 
are  not  advised.  It  is  evidently  another  case  for  secret  session. 

We  now  come  to  the  cost  of  the  water  channel  from  Chicago 
River  to  Willow  Springs.  On  the  7th  of  June,  1892,  the  Engineer 
made  a  report  upon  six  different  routes  for  a  channel  with  a 
capacity  of  300,000  cubic  feet  per  minute.  The  lowest  of  these 
estimates  was  upon  the  line  of  the  present  canal,  with  a  narrow 
right  of  way,  and  was  $5,899,963,  and  contemplated  railroad 
changes  of  some  six  different  railroads,  with  eleven  tracks  and 
a  switching  yard,  etc.;  and  he  says  in  his  report  that  his  estimate 
gives  "  no  idea  of  the  relative  injury  to  railroad  property  as  not 
"being  susceptible  of  estimate." 


60  ADDITIONAL    WORKS    NECESSARY. 

The  addition  of  any  specific  amount  to  this  estimate  would 
seem  to  be  unwarrantable,  unless  the  data  upon  which  it  is  made 
were  given;  but  in  view  of  such  of  his  estimates  as  we  have  been 
able  to  compare  with  the  actual  figures,  and  in  view  of  some 
further  opportunities  which  will  be  mentioned  hereafter,  it  would 
seem  that  an  addition  of  33  to  40  per  cent,  should  be  made  to 
any  estimate  proffered  by  Mr.  Williams.  He  proposes  radical 
interference  with  six  different  railroad  systems,  and  to  such  an 
extent  that  he  can  give  no  idea  of  the  injuries,  "  as  not  being 
"  susceptible  of  estimate." 

Without  wasting  time  in  commenting  upon  such  a  confession 
of  impotence,  is  it  not  the  more  prudent  course  to  treat  his  esti- 
mate of  $6,000,000  as  being  a  scanty  60  per  cent,  of  the  actual 
cost,  and  set  down  the  real  figure,  as  being  $10,000,000,  making 
the  total  for  the  channel  from  Chicago  River  to  Lockpprt,  and 
thence  by  sluice-way  (or,  as  the  Engineer  not  improperly  desig- 
nates it  in  this  connection,  "tail-race  ")  to  the  upper  basin,  the 
sum  of  $24,282,442. 

In  addition  to  the  main  channel  and  sluice-way,  there  are 
various  subsidiary  works  which  will  be  necessary,  as: 

1.  The  entire  rebuilding  of  the  walls  and  dams  of  the  upper 
and  lower  basins,  and  extensive  protecting  walls  along  the  Des 
Plaines  River  in  Joliet. 

2.  The  construction  of  a  tunnel  from  the  lake  to  the  east 
branch  of  the  south  fork,  to  create  a  current  which  will  carry  off 
the  sewage  of  the  stock  yards. 

3.  An  intercepting  sewer  along  the  lake  to  take  up  the  sew- 
age now  emptying  into  Lake  Michigan. 

4.  The  'enlargement  of  Chicago  River. 

5.  To  these  items  of  expense  must  be  added  the  liability 
for  damages  for  flooding  lands,  and  the  destruction  of  property 
in  the  Illinois  River  Valley. 

Of  these  items  in  their  order: 

First.  The  upper  basin  at  Joliet  is  4,000  feet  long,  300  feet 
wide,  and  from  six  inches  to  sixteen  feet  deep. 

The  lower  basin  is  about  2,600  feet  long,  250  feet  wide,  and 
about  of  the  same  depth  as  the  upper  basin.  They  are  faced 
with  an  indifferent  stone  wall,  which,  while  fairly  adequate  for 
present  use,  would  not  answer  with  an  additional  flow  of  300,000 
cubic  feet  per  minute. 

These  basins  are  kept  well  filled  by  the  35,000  cubic  feet  per 


LARGE    OUTLAY    AT    JOLIET.  61 

minute  now  pumped  at  Bridgeport,  and  would  have  to  be  raised 
much  higher  for  the  proposed  additional  quantity  of  water.  To 
do  this,  the  present  walls  must  be  torn  out  and  new  walls  con- 
structed. 

The  tops  of  the  present  walls  lining  the  basins  are  about  on 
a  level  with  the  land  adjoining,  and  the  increase  in  height  would 
have  to  be  high  and  strong  enough  to  contain  the  waters  from 
the  proposed  channel,  with  the  flood-waters  of  the  Des  Plaines 
added.  It  will  be  remembered  that  serious  damage  was  done 
in  Joliet  during  May  and  June,  1892,  by  the  flood-waters  of  the 
Des  Plaines. 

The  following  dispatches  are  taken  from  the  Chicago 
Daily  News  of  May  5,  1892,  as  to  the  effects  of  the  flood  in 
May: 

"  JOLIET,  May  5th. — The  rain  last  night  was  the  heaviest  that 
"  ever  fell  in  this  district.  The  Des  Plaines  River  and  the 
"  canal  have  overflowed  their  banks,  and  the  citizens  living 
"within  a  half  mile  of  the  river  have  been  notified  to  move  out. 
"No  business  is  being  done, and  all  are  helping  to  save  life  and 
"  property. 

"  At  Hydes'  mill,  one  mile  north  of  Joliet,  on  the  river  bank, 
"  is  the  most  dangerous  place.  The  lock  at  this  place  may  be 
"  taken  out  at  any  moment.  If  such  should  happen,  the  entire  busi- 
"ness  part  of  Joliet  would  be  under  water,  and  buildings  in  the 
"  valley  would  be  swept  away.  At  the  Jefferson  Street  bridge,  in 
"the  heart  of  the  city,  the  water  is  overflowing  the  river  banks, 
"  and  the  basements  of  stores,  as  well  as  dwelling-houses  along 
"the  river,  are  full  of  water." 

As  to  the  June  flood  at  Joliet,  the  following  is  taken  from  the 
Chicago  Herald  of  June  24,  1892: 

"  JOLIET,  ILL.,  June  23d. —  The  Du  Page  and  Des  Plaines 
"  rivers  have  risen  and  the  water  is  backing  into  the  mills,  fac- 
"  lories,  streets,  and  farm  lands." 

If  to  the  volume  of  water  mentioned  in  these  dispatches 
there  be  added  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute  from  the 
drainage  channel,  it  can  not  be  otherwise  than  that  very  great 
additional  damage  would  ensue.  For  all  this,  the  drainage  district 
will  be  liable,  hence  the  necessity  of  extensive  and  elaborate  pro- 
tecting walls  of  masonry. 

Messrs.  Worthen  and  Newton  reported  that  this  additional 
quantity  of  water  would  flood  out  the  dams  at  the  lower  ends  of 


62  CONDUIT  FROM  THE  LAKE. 

the  two  basins;  that  is,  that  the  water  would  make  a  continuous 
course  over  these  dams  with  little  or  no  appearance  of  a  fall. 
They  suggested  that  the  water  should  be  taken  in  an  iron  cylinder, 
thirty-six  feet  in  diameter,  from  the  upper  basin  down  past  Joliet  to 
empty  into  the  Des  Plaines.  This  would  be  a  work  of  very  con- 
siderable magnitude,  and  would  not  have  been  suggested  by  them 
unless  the  necessity  was  urgent. 

There  are  no  figures  at  hand  upon  which  to  base  an  estimate 
of  the  cost  of  the  necessary  work  upon  the  basins,  and  to  protect 
Joliet,  but  it  would  seem  as  though  to  erect  several  miles  of 
heavy  stone  wall  that  $2,500,000  was  not  unreasonable. 

Second.  The  connection  of  the  east  branch  of  the  south 
fork  with  the  main  channel. 

In  his  report  of  June  7,  1 892,  the  Chief  Engineer  estimates  the 
cost  of  a  conduit  from  the  lake,  and  a  system  of  intersecting  sewers 
which  would  collect  all  the  sewage  of  the  city  south  of  Thirty- 
ninth  Street,  including  everything  from  the  stock  yards  and 
slaughter  houses,  and  convey  the  same  to  the  east  fork,  with 
pumping  works  to  raise  the  water  flowing  through  the  conduit, 
so  that  there  would  be  a  gravity  flow  to  the  main  channel,  as  being 
$346,280,  and  costing  annually  to  operate  $12,000.  This  estimate 
is  based  upon  the  capacity  and  cost  of  a  sewer  6,200  feet  long 
and  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  as  costing  $40  per  running  foot,  or 
$248,000,  and  he  proposed  a  conduit  of  that  size  to  carry  all  the 
sewage  of  the  South  Side  south  of  Thirty-ninth  Street,  and  all 
the  sewage  of  the  stock  yards,  and  the  subsoil  water  which  it 
would  gather  in  its  course,  and  provide  for  a  change  of  water  of 
the  entire  east  fork  of  the  South  Branch  once  in  twenty-four 
hours. 

These  figures  are  simply  preposterous.  This  is  not  a  case 
where  the  estimate  is  even  60  per  cent,  of  the  actual  cost.  Mr. 
Williams  gives  the  distance  from  the  lake  to  the  east  branch  of 
the  south  fork  as  6,200  feet. 

What  he  meant  by  a  conduit  of  that  length  it  is  difficult  to 
imagine.  The  distance  from  the  lake  to  the  east  end  of  the 
east  branch  of  the  south  fork  is  14,650  feet.  The  conduit 
must  extend  several  hundred  feet  into  the  lake,  so  that  it  is  safe 
to  say  the  conduit  will  have  to  be  15,000  feet  in  length. 

The  Fullerton  Avenue  conduit  is  twelve  feet  in  diameter  and 
11,898  feet  in  length  from  the  lake  shaft  to  the  North  Branch  of 
the  river.  The  distance  from  the  lake  shore  to  Fullerton  Avenue 


WORTHLESS    ESTIMATES    OF    MR.    WILLIAMS.  63 

works  is  11,195  ^eet-  The  west  4,270  feet  of  that  conduit  is  an 
open  trench,  which  is  much  less  expensive  than  tunneling. 

The  actual  cost  of  the  Fullerton  Avenue  conduit,  engines, 
and  machinery  was  $566,515.13,  and  this  was  with  the  open 
trench,  above  mentioned,  for  nearly  half  its  length.  What  Mr. 
Williams  meant  then,  in  estimating  the  cost  of  the  conduit  from 
the  lake  to  the  east  fork,  twelve  feet  in  diameter  with  the  neces- 
sary engines  and  pumps,  at  $297,000,  is  absolutely  inconceivable. 

Taking  into  account  the  additional  length  of  the  conduit,  and 
the  fact  that  it  must  be  all  tunnel  work,  it  is  certainly  safe  to 
estimate  the  cost  of  a  tunnel  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  from  the 
lake  to  the  east  fork,  at  one-third  more  than  the  cost  of  the 
Fullerton  Avenue  conduit,  which  would  be  $755,353.50,  or  2^ 
times  more  than  the  estimate  of  Mr.  Williams. 

He  estimated  the  annual  cost  of  pumping  18,000  cubic  feet 
of  water  per  minute  at  $12,000. 

The  Fullerton  Avenue  pumps  have  a  capacity  of  13,000  cubic 
feet  per  minute  of  the  same  kind  of  work. 

The  expenses  of  those  works  for  the  past  three  years  were  as 
follows: 

1889  (which  included  $6,000  for  repairs) $21,107.14 

1890 15,620.63 

1891  (about) 15,000.00 

Does  Mr.  Williams  propose  to  revolutionize  pumping  works 
in  Chicago  or  has  he  made  a  willful  underestimate?  Substan- 
tially, he  proposes  to  do  one-half  more  work  for  one-fourth  less 
money  than  Chicago  is  now  doing. 

Third.  An  intercepting  sewer  along  the  lake  from  Twelfth 
Street  to  Thirty-ninth  Street,  of  sufficient  size  to  take  up  the  out- 
put of  these  three  main  sewers,  can  probably  be  built  for 
$120,000,  which  should  be  added  to  the  cost  of  the  conduit  as 
above  given. 

THE    ENLARGEMENT    OF    THE    CHICAGO    RIVER. 

Fourth.  The  question  as  to  how  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water 
per  minute  is  to  be  supplied  to  the  channel  is  of  the  first  impor- 
tance. Of  what  use  is  this  expensive  channel  without  water? 

The  only  existing  source  of  supply  is  by  the  way  of  the  South 
Branch.  From  Lake  Street  bridge  to  the  fork  at  Ashland  Avenue 
is  about  4^  miles.  At  the  Adams  and  Jackson  street  bridges 


64 


WATER    WANTED    FOR    A    WATER-WAY. 


the  river  is  ninety-five  feet  wide,  and  at  twelve  different  and  other 
places,  between  Jackson  Street  and  the  fork  at  Bridgeport,  the 
width  of  the  river  varies  from  115  to  140  feet,  with  an  average 
width,  at  these  twelve  places,  of  127^  feet. 

The  South  Branch  is  crossed  by  seventeen  city  bridges  and 
four  railroad  bridges,  all  except  three  having  stone  piers  in  the 
center  of  the  stream.  The  quantity  of  water  flowing  up  the 
South  Branch  necessarily  depends  on  the  rapidity  of  the  cur- 
rent and  the  width  and  depth  of  the  stream.  In  May,  1891, 
Capt.  Marshall  found  the  depth  to  vary  from  io|-  to  14  feet. 
He  also  made  at  that  time  an  estimate,  in  cubic  feet  per  min- 
ute, of  the  quantity  of  water  which  could  flow  up  the  South 
Branch  at  one  mile  per  hour.  His  estimates  were  at  fourteen 
given  points,  as  stated  below,  and  were  figured  both  upon  the 
depth  of  the  water  at  that  time  and  upon  a  uniform  depth 
of  eighteen  feet,  as  follows: 


POINT  OF  MEASUREMENT. 

Number  of  cubic 
feet  with  pres- 
ent    depth    of 
channel. 

Number  of  cubic 
feet  with  chan- 
nel eighteen  ft. 
deep. 

Lake  Street     ..            

191,198 

I32,3S2 
I59,5°9 
114,611 

131,789 

148,579 
169,162 

130,830 

133,874 
186,560 

139,348 

i39,304 
114,400 

135,749 
128,990 

242,986 
202,752 
183,744 
I39,392 
164,736 
206,712 

217,325 
183,744 
180,259 
219,226 
199,901 
207,979 
173,606 

I75,032 
182,160 

Randolph  Street  

Madison  Street.  

Adams  Street  

Jackson  Street  

Van  Buren  Street       ..          

Harrison    Street                 _.    

Polk  Street     ..  

Wisconsin  Central  Railway  . 

Twelfth  Street.  

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Ry..  _ 
Eighteenth  Street 

Fort  Wayne  Railway.  

Twenty-second  Street       . 

Halsted  Street  

This  estimate  does  not  take  into  account  the  piling  around 
the  bridge  piers  for  protection,  nor  yet  the  more  variable  factor 
of  vessels  along  the  docks.  The  average  width  of  vessels  en- 
gaged in  navigation  from  Chicago  to  the  lower  lakes  is  now 
thirty-eight  feet.  The  new  vessels  being  built  are  from  forty  to 
forty-two  feet  wide;  their  bottoms  are  flat,  so  that  when  loaded  they 


CHICAGO    RIVER    TOO    NARROW.  65 

operate  as  an  obstruction  to  the  channel  thirty-eight  to  forty-two 
feet  wide.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  are  many  places  in  the 
river  where  two  of  these  boats  opposite  each  other  leave  but 
little  more  than  room  for  a  tug  to  pass  along. 

By  reference  to  the  above  table,  it  will  be  seen  that  at  the 
depth  of  water  existing  at  the  time  of  Capt.  Marshall's  meas- 
urement, out  of  fourteen  points  given,  there  are  only  three  which, 
at  the  rate  of  one  mile  per  hour,  or  eighty-eight  feet  per  minute, 
will  allow  the  flow  of  more  than  one-half  the  quantity  of  water 
required,  even  when  unobstructed  by  vessels. 

Something  can  be  done  by  way  of  deepening  the  channel,  but 
docks,  bridge  piers,  and  buildings  along  the  banks  of  the  river 
have  been  constructed  with  reference  to  its  present  depth,  and 
it  is  the  prevalent  opinion,  both  among  practical  men  and  engi- 
neers, that  it  would  endanger  their  foundations  to  deepen  the 
channel  to  a  greater  depth  than  eighteen  feet. 

Taking  the  most  liberal  estimate  of  the  present  capacity  of 
the  South  Branch,  if  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute  is  to 
flow  toward  the  proposed  channel,  provision  should  be  made  for 
an  additional  supply  of  one-half  that  amount. 

Mr.  Williams,  as  Chief  Engineer  of  the  drainage  district,  is 
finally  brought  to  face  this  question.  On  the  iyth  of  February, 
1892,  he  was  directed  to  make  estimates  of  three  routes  from  the 
river  to  the  summit,  each  estimate  to  include  bridges,  right  of 
way,  railway  damages,  and  all  other  work. 

On  June  7,  1892,  he  made  his  report,  and  flounders  around, 
twice  in  the  Ogden  ditch,  once  in  the  canal,  once  in  the  south 
fork,  once  in  both  the  south  fork  and  Ogden  ditch,  and  once 
in  both  the  south  fork  and  the  canal.  Instead  of  confining 
himself  to  his  duties  as  Engineer,  and  complying  with  the  reso- 
lutions of  the  board  to  lay  out  the  routes  and  give  the  estimates 
as  directed,  he  usurps  the  functions  of  the  board,  and  proceeds 
to  discuss  what  ought  to  be  done — not  in  a  logical  order;  your 
genuine  water-way  crank  has  very  little  idea  of  logic.  His  true 
intellectual  method  is  to  continue  "  at  large,"  and  have  a 
"  policy." 

One  of  the  peculiar  propositions  of  his  report  is,  that  it  is  no 
concern  of  the  Drainage  Board  whether  Chicago  River  continues 
navigable  or  not;  they  might  co-operate  to  that  end,  but  only  as 
a  matter  of  majestic  condescension;  he  finds  movable  b'idges  an 
incubus,  and  that  it  is  within  the  scope  of  his  duties  as  Engineer 

5 


66  MR.  WILLIAMS    ON    RIVER    NAVIGATION. 

to  discuss  the  questions  submitted  to  him  by  the  board,  "with 
"  reference  to  the  broadest  sanitary,  commercial,  and  political 
"  interests  of  this  community  and  of  the  country  at  large." 

Let  one  imagine  for  a  moment  the  City  Engineer  of  Chicago 
reporting  to  the  Council,  or  the  engineer  of  one  of  our  great 
railroads  indulging  in  such  flatulence  in  a  report  to  the  Board  of 
Directors!  Entertaining  such  a  conception  of  his  duties  as 
engineer,  nothing  definite  could  be  expected. 

Instead  of  ascertaining  from  intelligent  sources  the  extreme 
velocity  of  current  permissible  in  the  river,  and  then  stating 
the  size  of  the  channel  necessary,  the  amount  of  land  to  be  taken 
and  its  value,  the  cost  of  excavation,  and  the  damages  which 
would  accrue  by  reason  of  the  destruction  of  buildings,  the 
rebuilding  of  docks,  and  the  reconstruction  of  bridges,  he 
measures  the  current  of  the  floods  down  Chicago  River  in 
May,  1892,  and  concludes  that  "to  preserve  safe  and  easy 
"navigation  of  the  Chicago  River  the  velocity  should  not  exceed 
"a  mile  and  a  half  an  hour."  This  conclusion  is  based,  he  says, 
upon  the  flood-tides  of  February,  1887,  and  May,  1892,  and  from 
"other  information."  What  were  the  sources  of  his  "other 
information,'' whether  evolved  from  his  "inner  consciousness" 
or  obtained  from  bridge  tenders,  does  not  appear. 

The  fact  is,  Mr.  Williams  was  afraid  to  face  the  difficulty. 
He  knew,  what  every  one  else  knows,  that  to  make  the  necessary 
changes  in  Chicago  River  would  cost  several  millions  of  dollars, 
and  his  "policy"  was  to  avoid  giving  an  estimate  which  would 
startle  the  people  of  Chicago;  his  "policy"  was  to  get  the  city 
irretrievably  committed,  and  then,  if  there  was  too  much  current, 
the  city  would  be  compelled  to  protect  its  commercial  interests 
by  widening  the  river  at  its  own  expense;  and  so  he  increases  the 
capacity  of  the  channel  one-half  with  a  stroke  of  his  pen,  by  com- 
puting upon  the  basis  of  a  current  of  a  mile  and  a  half  an  hour. 
With  very  little  inquiry  Mr.  Williams  could  have  ascertained  that 
one  mile  per  hour,  or  eighty-eight  feet  per  minute,  was  the 
extreme  limit  of  a  current  for  the  channel;  dividing  his  300,000 
cubic  feet  of  water  by  eighty-eight,  he  would  have  found  that 
he  must  have  a  channel  with  a  cross  section  of  3,409  feet;  divid- 
ing this  number  by  eighteen  as  the  extreme  limit  of  depth,  he 
would  have  found  that  189  feet  was  its  necessary  width. 

That  he  did  not  do  this,  is  simply  of  a  piece  with  the  men  of 


CAPT.   DUNHAM    ON    RIVER    NAVIGATION.  67 

his  kidney,  in  their  concealment  of  the  difficulties,  and  the  giv- 
ing of  inadequate  estimates  of  the  cost  of  their  colossal  humbug. 

The  determination  of  the  size  of  the  channel  was  simple 
enough,  and  it  would  seem  as  though  honest  engineering  would 
have  presented  the  real  facts,  instead  of  bobbing  sinkers,  at 
intervals  of  five  years,  in  the  viscous  waters  of  Chicago  River. 

Having  accomplished  the  achievement  above  mentioned,  of 
enlarging  the  capacity  of  the  river,  he  then  indulges  in  some 
cheese-paring  prattle  about  minor  changes,  into  which  it  is  not 
necessary  to  follow  him. 

Upon  the  question  of  the  current  permissible  in  Chicago 
River,  Mr.  J.  S.  Dunham,  president  of  the  Dunham  Towing 
&  Wrecking  Co.,  writes  as  follows: 

"CHICAGO,  June  9,  1892. 
"  To  -  — ,  Esq. 

"  DEAR  SIR:  Yours  of  the  gth  inst.,  making  inquiries  as  to 
"my  knowledge  and  opinion  of  navigation  in  the  South  Branch 
"  of  Chicago  River,  was  duly  received,  and  in  reply  will  answer 
"your  questions  as  follows: 

"ist.  Are  you  familiar  with  navigation  in  the  South 
"  Branch? 

"ANSWER. — Yes. 

"  zd.  If  so,  how  long  have  you  been  connected  with  such 
"  navigation,  in  what  capacity,  and  in  general  what  are  your 
"means  of  knowledge  about  such  navigation? 

"ANSWER. — Have  been  a  tug-boat  owner  in  this  harbor  for 
"the  past  thirty  years. 

"3d.  What,  in  your  judgment,  is  the  extreme  limit  of  speed 
"per  hour  at  which  a  current  up  the  South  Branch  can  be 
"allowed  consistent  with  its  available  use  by  the  class  of  vessels 
"now  entering  Chicago  harbor? 

"ANSWER. — Three-quarters  of  a  mile  per  hour. 
"4th.     Would  a  current  at  the  rate  of  i£  miles  per  hour  be 
"  objectionable,  and  if  so,  why? 

"  ANSWER. — Yes,  for  the  reason  that  we  could  not  manage  a 
"modern  vessel  with  any  degree  of  safety  to  the  vessel. 

."Yours  respectfully, 

"  J.  S.  DUNHAM, 
"President  D.   T.  &   W.  Co." 


68  LAKE    LINE    AGENTS   ON    RIVER    NAVIGATION. 

No  one  will  claim  a  more  extended  experience,  or  greater 
practical  knowledge  of  the  navigation  of  the  Chicago  River,  than 
is  possessed  by  Capt.  Dunham,  and,  as  has  been  seen,  he  places 
the  extreme  limit  at  three-fourths  of  a  mile  per  hour,  or  just  one- 
half  that  of  the  engineer  of  the  Drainage  Board. 

In  view  of  the  importance  of  the  question  as  to  whether  a 
current  of  i£  miles  an  hour  in  Chicago  River  was  permissible, 
the  various  representatives  of  the  lines  of  lake  steamers  held  a 
meeting  in  Chicago  on  the  i5th  day  of  May,  1892,  to  consider 
the  matter,  and  the  following  was  published  in  the  Chicago 
dailies  of  May  i6th  as  the  report  of  that  meeting: 

ONE    MILE    AN    HOUR    THE    LIMIT — LAKE     LINE    AGENTS    CONSIDER 
NAVIGATION  ON    THE    CHICAGO  RIVER. 

"  Lake  Line  Agents'  Association  fixed  a  limit  of  one  mile  an 
"  hour  as  the  greatest  speed  of  the  Chicago  River  current  con- 
sistent with  safe  navigation.  Mr.  Artingstall  gave  the  result 
"of  observations  taken  at  Van  Buren  Street  in  the  great  freshet 
"of  May.  The  first  day  of  the  flood,  408,000  cubic  feet  a  min- 
"  ute  passed  that  point,  at  an  average  velocity  of  43^  miles  an 
"hour.  The  day  of  the  heaviest  flow,  468,000  cubic  feet  a  minute 
"  passed  at  5^  miles  an  hour. 

"  From  his  observations,  and  the  knowledge  that  the  river 
"  would  be  narrowed,  at  all  times,  by  large  boats  lying  at  the 
"docks,  and  the  permanent  obstructions  in  the  nature  of  bridge 
"abutments  and  approaches,  Mr.  Artingstall  said  that  he  did  not 
"  think  it  would  be  ever  possible  to  secure  a  flow  of  300,000 
"cubic  feet  of  water  a  minute  through  the  Chicago  River,  at 
"  i£  miles  an  hour,  as  now  proposed  by  the  Drainage  Board. 
"  He  did  not  think  the  river  could  be  widened  sufficiently  to 
"affect  the  flow  materially,  nor  was  it  possible  to  deepen  the 
"channel  to  any  degree. 

"  Capt.  J.  S.  Dunham  believed  that  the  maximum  current 
"should  not  be  more  than  three-quarters  of  a  mile  an  hour.  His 
"experience  in  the  freshet  had  shown  him  that  a  greater  velocity 
"than  this  would  make  the  movement  of  vessels  through  the 
"crooked  South  Branch  dangerous. 

"A  resolution  was  finally  adopted  fixing  the  limit." 

Capt.  Marshall  also  writes  as  follows  concerning  the  necessary 
enlargement  of  the  South  Branch,  and  of  the  current  which  is 


CAPT.  MARSHALL    ON    RIVER    NAVIGATION.  69 

permissible  therein,  consistent  with  its   safe   navigation,  and  of 
the  changes  which  would  be  required: 

"  I  should  say  that  any  appreciable  current  is  more  or  less 
"  dangerous,  and  will  affect  more  or  less  the  rates  of  marine 
"  insurance  on  vessels  and  cargoes  navigating  Chicago  River 
"In  my  opinion  a  current  from  one  to  i£  feet  per  second, 
"  or  from  two-thirds  of  a  mile  to  one  mile  per  hour,  will  mark 
"  the  extreme  safe  or  permissible  current,  and  that  even  this 
"  moderate  current  will  diminish  the  number  and  tonnage  of 
"  vessels  navigating  Chicago  River.  The  actual  current  in  the 
"  river,  due  to  the  presence  of  the  vessels  themselves,  will  be 
"  greater  than  the  above,  at  the  location  of  the  vessel. 

"  The  mean  or  average  capacity  (now)  for  discharge  through 
"bridge-draws  on  the  South  Branch  is  138,220  cubic  feet  per 
"  minute.  The  average  capacity  of  the  river  between  the  bridges 
"is  188,408  cubic  feet  per  minute;  the  least  capacity  of  any 
"  open  river  section  is  between  Mason's  and  Allen's  slips,  and  is 
"110,880  cubic  feet  per  minute;  the  least  capacity  at  bridge 
"spans  is  at  Deering  Street  bridge,  through  which  can  be  dis- 
charged, now,  only  96,553  cubic  feet  per  minute.  All  of  the 
"  estimates  herein  made,  are  upon  the  basis  of  a  current  with  a 
"  velocity  of  one  mile  per  hour.  When  the  river  is  in  its  usual 
"  condition,  crowded  with  boats  tied  to  the  banks,  or  in  motion 
"  against  the  current,  with  their  submerged  hulls  obstructing  the 
"  flow  of  water,  the  actual  mean  capacity  is  probably  not  greater 
"  than  60  per  cent,  of  the  above. 

"The  maximum  flowing  capacity  of  the  South  Branch  that 
"  can  be  obtained  at  any  bridge,  by  dredging  out  the  span 
"channels  to  a  mean  depth  of  eighteen  feet,  without  changing 
"the  bridges,  is  243,000  cubic  feet  per  minute;  to  obtain  an 
"  equal  discharge  through  the  other  bridge  spans,  all  these  other 
"  bridges  must  be  reconstructed,  the  open  channel  widened  to 
"  160  feet,  and  dredged  out  to  a  depth  of  eighteen  feet. 

"  Two  hundred  thousand  cubic  feet  per  minute  is  the  maxi- 
"mum  capacity,  in  my  opinion,  that  can  be  obtained  in  the  South 
"Branch  without  costly  modifications  in  that  stream." 

These  are  the  figures  for  an  open  channel,  unobstructed  by 
vessels.  It  is  apparent,  then,  that  160  feet  in  width  and  eighteen 
feet  in  depth  is  the  narrowest  limit  permissible  for  such  a  flow 
of  water.  One  hundred  and  sixty  feet  is  the  width  fixed  by  the 


70  RADICAL    CHANGES   IN    THE    RIVER    NECESSARY. 

law  for  the*  rock-cut  and  the  earth  channel  from  Bridgeport  to 
Lockport,  with  an  allowable  current  of  three  miles  per  hour,  and 
comparatively  free  from  obstruction  by  vessels. 

The  bridge  above  referred  to  by  Capt.  Marshall,  is  the  one  at 
Lake  Street.  It  is  obvious  from  the  statement  of  Mr.  Arting- 
stall  before  the  meeting  of  the  agents  of  the  different  vessel 
lines,  and  of  Capt.  Marshall,  as  above,  that  a  channel  of  sufficient 
size  to  convey  300,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute,  at  a  cur- 
rent not  exceeding  one  mile  per  hour,  up  the  South  Branch,  can 
only  be  secured  at  the  expense  of  radical  changes. 

Those  changes  will  involve  the  taking  of  a  strip  of  land  of 
varying  width,  in  some  cases  over  fifty  feet  wide,  all  the  way 
from  Washington  Street  up  to  the  pumping-works;  also  the 
destruction  of  more  or  less  buildings,  some  of  which,  as  eleva- 
tors and  warehouses,  are  very  expensive.  It  will  also  involve 
the  reconstruction  of  the  docks  on  one  or  other  side  of  the 
river  the  entire  distance  of  4^  miles.  Every  bridge  above  Lake 
Street  will  have  to  be  built  new,  with  one  or  both  new  abutments, 
and  in  most  cases  new  center  piers.  In  many  cases  there  will  be 
large  damages  growing  out. of  the  change  of  the  level  of  the 
street  in  making  the  requisite  approaches.  There  will  also  be 
the  cost  of  excavating  the  land  taken,  and  dredging  of  the  river 
to  the  requisite  depth  of  eighteen  feet. 

Mr.  Williams,  the  Engineer  of  the  board,  was  directed,  in 
February  last,  to  make  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  a  sufficient 
channel  to  supply  the  water  for  the  canal  which  the  Drainage 
Board  proposed  to  build.  After  some  3^  months  he  made  a 
report  in  which  he  coolly  ignores  the  directions  of  the  board. 

Any  proper  estimate  of  the  cost  of  such  a  channel  can  only 
be  made  after  a  careful  survey  of  the  entire  route.  This  has  not 
been  done,  and  under  such  circumstances  no  satisfactory  estimate 
can  be  made.  It  is  easy  enough  to  see  that  the  cost  will  run  freely 
into  the  millions — probably  from  five  to  eight  millions  of  dollars. 

It  was  in  view  of  such  an  outlook,  and  having  some  regard 
for  decency  in  the  matter  of  public  expenditures,  that  Mr. 
Artingstall  said  that  he  did  not  think  it  possible  to  enlarge  the 
South  Branch  sufficiently  to  furnish  the  amount  of  water  required 
by  the  Drainage  Act. 


SUMMING    UP    THE   COST.  71 

RECAPITULATION. 

Such  recapitulation  as  can  be  made  then  is  as  follows: 
Bids  for  work  from  Willow  Springs  to  within    4^ 

miles  of   upper  basin $10,696,754.98 

Estimate  for  sluice-way $1,500,000.00 

For  structures.. 677,000.00 

For  right  of  way 800,000.00 

Five  per  cent,  for  contingencies  and 

engineering 608,687.70 


$3,585,687.70 
Add  £  for  underestimate,  and  "  for 

work  not  submitted  to  bids". .     1,195,229.23 

4,780,916.93 


Total  of  cost  of  work  from  Willow  Springs  to 

upper  basin $15,477,671.91 

Engineer's  estimate  for  cost  of  work 
from  Chicago  River  to  Willow 
Springs  by  the  canal,  and  not 
including  injuries  to  railroad 
property $5,899,963.00 

Add  40  per   cent,  for  underestimate, 

and  covering  railroad   damages    2,359,985.20 


Total  for  channel  from  river  to  Willow  Springs.      8,259,948.20 

Probable  cost  of  enlarging  Chicago  River 6,500,000.00 

Engineer's  estimate  of  conduit  from 
Lake  Michigan  to  east  fork, 
6,200  feet  in  length,  and  engines, 

pumps,  etc $298,000.00 

Add,  for  underestimate  in  length, 
and  probable  cost  as  compared 
with  the  Fullerton  Avenue 
Works,  as  heretofore  shown 457,353-5° 


Total  cost  of  conduit 755,353-5° 

Probable  cost  of  intersecting  sewer  from  Twelfth 

Street  to  Thirty-ninth  Street 120,000.00 

Probable  cost  of  intersecting  sewer  south  of 

Thirty-ninth  Street 100,000.00 

Probable  cost  of  rebuilding  the  walls  of  the  upper 

and  lower  basins  and  dams,  and  protecting 

walls  for  Joliet 2,500,000.00 

The  people  of  Chicago  have  thus  presented  to 
them,  as  what  will  probably  be  an  underesti- 
mate of  the  cost  of  the  proposed  works,  the 
sum  of $33>7I2>973-61 


72  DAMAGES    FOR    FLOODING    LANDS. 

As  to  the  annual  damages  for  flooding  down  the  Illinois 
.River,  hereinafter  discussed,  while  the  sum  total  will  be  very 
large,  there  are  no  sufficient  data  for  anything  other  than  a  con- 
jectural estimate.  It  is  probable  that  in  some  years  the 
waters  would  remain  within  the  banks,  notwithstanding  the 
proposed  addition  to  their  volume.  If,  however,  we  suppose 
that  there  will  be  an  annual  average  of  150,000  acres  of  land  over- 
flowed by  reason  of  the  waters  from  the  drainage  channel,  and 
that  the  annual  value  of  such  lands  is  taken  at  the  moderate  sum 
of  $12.50  per  acre,  we  have  an  annual  tax  of  $1,875,000  for  that 
item  alone.  Added  to  this  is  the  liability  for  damages  for  the 
destruction  of  bridges,  factories,  warehouses,  dwellings,  etc.,  as 
mentioned  in  the  dispatches  hereafter  quoted. 

LIABILITY    FOR    DAMAGES. 

Fifth.  We  have  now  to  consider  the  very  important  question 
of  the  liability  of  the  city  for  damages  occasioned  by  flooding 
lands,  the  destruction  of  buildings,  the  drowning  of  cattle,  and 
possibly  for  the  destruction  of  human  life  by  floods  down  the 
Illinois  Valley.  As  has  been  stated,  suits  can  be  brought  in  any 
county  bordering  on,  or  traversed  by,  the  Illinois  or  Des  Plaines 
rivers,  in  which  are  the  lands  affected  by  flooding.  The  fall  in  the 
Illinois  River  does  not  exceed  i|  inches  to  the  mile.  It  is  a 
sluggish  stream,  with  low  banks,  and  bordered  by  extensive 
stretches  of  bottom  lands.  The  character  of  the  river  and  of 
the  lands  adjoining,  is  thus  described  by  Capt.  Marshall  in 
his  report: 

"  The  Lower  Illinois  partakes  more  of  the  nature  of  an  estu- 
"  ary  than  of  a  river.  Its  banks  reach  only  to  mid-stage,  but 
"are  not  annually  overflowed.  Its  slope  is  only  0.15  foot  per 
"  mile. 

"The  bottom  lands  which  are  overflowed  at  stages  above 
"average  high  water,  vary  in  width  from  a  few  hundreds  of  feet 
"  to  five  miles,  generally  densely  covered  with  timber,  and  cut 
"up  by  numerous  sloughs,  lagoons,  and  ponds.  A  large  area, 
"  however,  of  the  higher  part  of  the  bottoms  is  cultivated,  when- 
"  ever  not  submerged  before  seeding  time,  and  this  cultivated 
"  area  is  annually  increasing." 

As  to  the  volume  of  water  of  the  Illinois  River,  and  the  prac- 
ticability of  deepening  its  channel,  he  says:  "  As  already  stated, 


CAPT.    MARSHALL    ON    THE    ILLINOIS   RIVER.  73 

"  the  extreme  flood  discharge  of  the  Illinois  River  at  Marseilles, 
"  111.,  is  about  70,000  cubic  feet  per  second.  Below  that  point  it 
"  receives  many  large  tributaries,  and  drains  a  much  larger  area 
"  than  above  it.  The  Fox  River,  the  two  Vermillions,  Big 
"Bureau  Creek,  Sangamon  River,  Spoon  River,  Crooked  Creek, 
"  the  Macoupin  River,  and  many  others,  probably  swell  its  ex- 
"treme  flood  discharge  at  its  mouth  to  from  120,000  to  150,000 
"  cubic  feet  per  second. 

"  It  may  then  be  said  that  the  channel  of  the  Lower  Illinois, 
"  without  overflow,  will  not  discharge  one-third  of  its  natural 
"  drainage  at  floods.  The  impracticability  of  preventing  over- 
"  flow,  then,  by  such  methods  as  enlarging  the  channel  of  the 
"  Lower  Illinois  by  the  removal  of  the  dams  therein  and  dredg- 
"  ing,  is  apparent,  when  it  involves  the  increase  to  three  times  its 
"  present  capacity,  of  a  channel  more  than  fourteen  feet  in  depth 
"  below  the  crest  of  the  banks,  and  varying  in  width  (not  includ- 
"  ing  Lake  Peoria)  from  600  feet  to  1,400  feet,  and  225  miles  in 
"  length,  from  La  Salle  to  the  Mississippi  River." 

The  estimate  of  Capt.  Marshall,  quoted  hereafter  (p.86),  that 
from  100,000  to  300,000  acres  of  land  were  subject  to  inunda- 
tion, was  intended  by  him  to  be  very  conservative;  but  he  has 
stated  privately  that  in  his  judgment  there  were  400,000  acres 
of  land  in  the  Illinois  Valley  liable  to  be  overflowed.  As  already 
stated,  Capt.  Marshall  has  charge  of  the  Government  works 
on  the  Illinois  River,  which  include  the  dams  and  locks  at 
Henry,  Copperas  Creek,  La  Grange,  and  Kamphouse,  and  his 
opportunities  for  forming  a  correct  judgment  are,  probably,  bet- 
ter than  those  of  any  other  man  living.  It  is  true  that  these  bot- 
tom lands  are  overflowed  at  times  by  the  waters  of  the  streams 
tributary  to  the  Illinois  River,  but  this  is  occasional,  while  the 
proposed  canal  is  for  a  permanent  and  steady  contribution  to 
the  volume  of  water.  It  is  therefore  obvious  that  at  flood  sea- 
sons the  water  will  reach  the  flood  stage  sooner,  will  rise  to  a 
higher  point,  and  will  remain  longer  than  if  no  such  addition  is 
made.  No  one  can  tell  the  effect  of  such  an  addition;  computa- 
tions are  idle.  There  are  twenty-four  counties  in  which  suits 
may  be  brought,  claims  for  damages  will  be  submitted  to  local 
juries,  the  plaintiff's  attorney  will  recover  his  fees  for  services, 
from  the  Drainage  Board,  the  "oldest  inhabitant "  and  ancient 
fishermen  will  be  standing  witnesses  to  prove  that  the  water 


74  FLOOD    OF    MAY,    1892. 

never  rose  so  high, or  remained  so  long,  and  it  will  be  for  the  jury 
to  say  whether  the  plaintiff  has  been  injured  by  flooding  caused 
by  the  Drainage  Board,  and  if  so,  how  much. 

Capt.  Marshall  states  that  these  lands  are  being  improved. 
This  has  been  done  notwithstanding  the  risk  of  overflow,  and  of 
damages  without  compensation,  as  chances  would  be  taken  for 
an  occasional  crop;  but  with  the  certainty  that  damages  could 
be  recovered  from  the  great  city  of  Chicago  in  case  of  overflow, 
their  improvement  will  be  much  more  rapid. 

During  the  months  of  May  and  June,  1892,  there  were  heavy 
rains  in  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Wisconsin,  raising  the  Kankakee, 
the  Des  Plaines,  and  the  other  tributaries  of  the  Illinois  to  a 
great,  but  not  unprecedented,  height;  of  course  the  effect  upon 
the  Illinois  River  was  very  great. 

The  following  dispatches  from  some  of  the  localities  on  the 
river  are  taken  from  Chicago  papers: 

[From  the  Chicago  Tribune  of  May  5th.] 

"  OTTAWA,  May  4th. — The  most  disastrous  work  of  the  flood 
"  in  this  vicinity  occurred  in  the  town  of  Marseilles.  The  Illinois 
"  River  rose  to  a  point  eighteen  feet  over  low-water  mark,  and 
"  by  the  pressure  of  the  angry  waters  two  of  the  immense  gates 
"  of  the  water-power  were  swept  away,  and  all  the  factories, 
"  including  the  Clark  paper  mill,  were  compelled  to  suspend 
"  operations.  At  Ottawa,  the  Fox  and  Illinois  rivers  overflowed 
"  their  banks,  *  *  *  *  people  living  on  the  bottoms  were  com- 
"  pelled  to  leave  their  homes,  and  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of 
"  property  was  destroyed." 

[From  the  Tribune  of  May  7,  1892.] 

"  PEORIA,  May  yth. — The  La  Marsh  drainage  district,  in  the 
"  lower  end  of  this  county  across  from  Pekin,  is  now  a  watery 
"  waste.  The  picture  is  one  of  desolation  and  destruction,  and 
"the  work  of  two  years  has  been  swept  away;  household 
"  goods  of  every  kind  are  floating  about  the  river  and  the  inun- 
"  dated  district.  There  was  a  large  amount  of  live-stock  of  all 
"  descriptions  in  the  district,  and  the  loss  from  this  source  will 
"  be  very  great.  It  is  impossible  at  this  hour  to  form  any  esti- 
"  mate  of  the  loss,  but  it  will  be  very  great." 


HOUSES    CARRIED    AWAY.  75 

[From  the  Tribune  of  May  9,  1892.] 

"  PEORIA,  May  8th. — The  river  at  this  point  is  four  miles 
"  wide.  Any  number  of  small  houses  have  been  carried  away  or 
"submerged;  and  where  thousands  of  acres  of  fine  wheat  were 
"  growing  a  few  days  ago,  there  is  nothing  now  but  an  angry 
"  flood.  The  crops  are  totally  ruined,  and  the  land,  which  has 
"been  farmed  continually  since  1844,  will  be  so  cut  up  as  to 
"  be  practically  valueless. 

"The  loss  in  some  places  alone  will  reach  hundreds  of  thou- 
"  sands  of  dollars;  the  waves  are  rolling  high  and  the  greatest 
"  danger  is  to  be  feared." 

[From  the  Chicago  Herald  of  May  4,  1892.] 

"  MARSEILLES,  ILL.,  May  3d. — From  appearances  a  miracle 
"  only  can  save  Marseilles  from  threatened  inundation.  The 
"almost  unceasing  rainstorms  that  have  raged  up  and  down  the 
"  Illinois,  Fox,  and  Kankakee  valleys,  since  Sunday  night,  have 
"  precipitated  upon  this  large  area  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
"  tons  of  water  in  excess  of  any  heretofore  encountered  flood. 
"  The  rivers  have  been  rapidly  rising  since  yesterday,  and  the 
"  Illinois,  from  far  above  Marseilles  to  the  navigable  waters 
"below  La  Salle,  is  nearly  a  mile  wide,  and  deep  enough  in  the 
"  channel  to  float  the  largest  lake  vessels.  The  waters  have 
"already  risen  some  eighteen  feet  above  low-water  mark,  and  in 
"  this  city  the  situation  is  desperate. 

"  A  \c:~.£  levee  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  and  also  above 
"  the  dam  has  for  years  kept  back  the  waters  of  the  spring  floods. 
"  To-day  the  new  flood-gates  of  the  water-power  system  went 
"out,  and  water  began  flowing  over  the  levee.  Nearly  five 
"  hundred  men  employed  in  the  factories  below,  which  would 
"  receive  the  heaviest  part  of  the  flood  were  the  levee  to  break, 
"  were  put  to  work  upon  the  embankment  with  shovels  and  teams, 
"  and  succeeded  in  fighting  back  the  waters  until  to-night  by 
"  driving  piles  and  placing  two  feet  of  earth  upon  the  top.  But  at 
"  9  o'clock  this  evening,  though  the  men  are  still  at  work,  the 
"waters  are  slowly  gaining  upon  them,  and  are  already  creeping 
"  over  the  eastern  end  of  the  levee,  which  may  break  at  any 
"  moment.  Should  the  levee  break,  some  fifty  families,  who  have 
"already  moved  to  the  high  lands  beyond  the  canal,  would  be 


76  FIVE    CITIES    IN    DARKNESS. 

"  rendered  destitute,  and  all  the  district  between  the  canal  and 
"  the  river  would  be  buried  under  fifteen  feet  of  water. 

"  The  breaking  of  the  levee  may  mean  the  sweeping  away  of 
"  nearly  every  manufacturing  institution  in  the  city,  including 
"  the  Illinois  Valley  paper  mill,  the  largest  in  the  world;  the  Mar- 
"  seilles  Manufacturing  Company's  works,  the  John  F.  Clark 
"  mills,  the  Dawell  flouring  mills,  and  many  new  industries,  in 
"  which  millions  are  invested. 

"  Besides  the  damage  done  here,  mites  upon  miles  of  valuable 
"crops  put  in  upon  the  Illinois  bottoms  for  twenty  miles  on 
"  either  side  of  Ottawa  are  under  water,  involving  a  loss  of 
"  $50,000  to  farmers.  The  Kickapoo  and  other  bridges  have 
"  gone  out,  and  Allen  Park,  Ottawa,  and  all  of  the  lower  islands 
"  are  flooded.  At  10  o'clock  to-night  the  waters  are  still  rising, 
"and  the  Pioneer  Fireproof  Construction  Company's  works  in 
"  Ottawa,  the  Utica  road,  and  a  portion  of  Utica  are  under  water." 

[From  the  Chicago  Herald  of  May  7,  1892.] 

"  OTTAWA,  ILL.,  May  6th. — Seas  of  water  are  over  and  in  the 
"five  unfortunate  Illinois  cities — Ottawa,  Marseilles,  Peru,  La 
"  Salle,  and  Utica.  The  Illinois  has  risen  steadily  through  the 
"day.  To-night  the  cities  are  in  total  darkness,  the  result  of  the 
"  flooding  of  the  electric  light  and  gas  plants.  Boats  are  used 
"  for  communication,  and  their  twinkling  lights,  glistening  over 
"  the  unbroken  expanse  of  water,  add  to  the  appearance  of  ruin 
"  which  is  all  around  them. 

"  To-day  the  list  of  unfortunates  by  flood  was  added  to  by 
"  the  numbers  of  people  driven  from  houses  which  escaped  yes- 
"  terday,  but  were  invaded  to-day.  Despite  all  efforts  the  manu- 
"  facturing  district  was  totally  covered  by  water  this  afternoon. 
"  As  the  water  rose,  building  after  building  would  close  down,  and 
"  the  employes  leave  to  await  the  subsiding  of  the  flood.  It  will  be 
"  two  or  three  days  before  the  more  fortunate  of  the  flooded  fac- 
"  tories  can  be  entered  at  all,  and  it  will  take  as  much  longer  to 
"  remove  the  accumulations  of  mud  and  debris  which  came  with 
"the  inundation.  Ottawa  will  be  helpless  for  a  week  at  least. 

"Marseilles,  La  Salle,  and  Peru  are  in  an  even  more  desperate 
"condition.  At  Marseilles  the  river,  steadily  rising,  is  more  and 
"  more  dreaded,  as  the  levees  weaken.  There  is  little  hope  they 
"  will  stand  much  longer,  and  every  one  in  the  district  threatened, 


BRIDGES   SWEPT    AWAY.  77 

"has  removed  all  property  to  high  ground.  At  La  Salle,  the 
"situation  is  even  more  desperate  than  it  was  last  night,  the 
''water  having  advanced  from  two  to  three  feet  all  around  the 
"city,  and  the  manufactories,  the  water  works,  street  railway 
"and  electric  light  plants  still  being  underwater.  The  same 
"condition  is  present  at  Peru,  and  in  both  cities  all  business  is 
"practically  suspended.  At  Utica  the  waters  have  encroached 
"still  farther  upon  the  lower  end  of  the  village  from  the  river, 
"and  the  outlets  east  and  west  are  blocked  by  water.  Ottawa, 
"  Marseilles,  La  Salle,  and  Peru  are  without  electric  light  and 
"gas,  and  to-night  are  in  total  darkness.  The  waters  still  cover 
"  Ottawa's  parks,  and  her  street  railway  is  useless. 

"  LACON,  ILL.,  May  6th. — The  Illinois  river  at  this  point  is 
"higher  at  present  than  it  has  been  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
"The  long-continued  rains  have  swept  out  nearly  all  the  small 
"bridges  in  the  country.  Travel  between  Lacon  and  Sparland 
'''  is  suspended,  except  by  small  boats,  the  bridge  across  the 
"Illinois  being  covered  with  water  and  liable  to  be  carried  away. 
"The  tracks  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  are 
"badly  damaged  between  Peoria  and  Bureau,  and  all  the  trains 
"stopped.  The  bottom  lands  are  all  under  water,  and  no  corn 
"will  be  raised  on  thousands  of  acres. 

"  HENNEPIN,  ILL.,  May  6th. — The  heaviest  rains  for  the  same 
"  length  of  time,  ever  known,  commenced  Sunday  evening. 
"Three  and  one-half  inches  of  water  fell  Sunday  night,  if 
"inches  Monday  night,  2-£  inches  Wednesday  night,  a  total  in 
"the  three  nights  of  7!  inches.  The  Illinois  River  is  the  highest 
"it  has  been  since  1849,  rising  at  the  rate  of  two  inches  an  hour. 
"  Bottom  lands  are  all  submerged,  and  great  damage  has  been 
"done  to  bridges  and  fences.  No  mail  has  arrived  for  two 
"days." 

[From  the  Herald  of  May  9,  1892.] 

"  PEORIA,  ILL.,  May  yth. — At  least  150  families  of  five  hundred 
"souls  on  the  river  banks  in  this  city,  between  here  and  Pekin, 
"and  in  the  La  Marsh  drainage  district,  have  been  driven  from 
"their  homes  by  the  rapidly  rising  waters.  It  is  the  most  severe 
"flood  which  has  occurred  in  this  section  of  the  country  in  many 
"  a  year,  and  it  will  not  be  until  after  the  waters  have  receded 
"that  anything  like  an  accurate  estimate  of  the  loss  can  be  made; 


78  A    SHEET    OF    WATER    SEVEN    MILES    WIDE. 

"and  even  then  it  will  be  very  indefinite  in  its  character.  All 
"  night  long  the  water  poured  through  the  break  in  the  dyke  of 
"the  La  Marsh  drainage  district,  and  by  daylight  there  was  at 
"  least  fifteen  feet  of  water  inside.  It  came  through  in  a  raging 
"  torrent. 

"  Water  is  now  running  into  the  barns  of  the  transfer  com- 
"  pany  at  the  foot  of  Harrison  Street.  The  electric  light  com- 
"  pany  is  threatened,  and  is  building  a  bank  to  keep  the  water 
"  out.  The  Treusdale  Manufacturing  Company  is  doing  a  similar 
"  thing  at  its  planing  mill  at  the  foot  of  Eaton  Street.  The 
"  Hanna  wagon  works,  in  the  extreme  upper  end  of  the  city, 
"were  forced  to  shut  down  on  account  of  the  high  water.  The 
"  cattle  pens  at  nearly  all  of  the  distilleries  are  now  within  reach 
"  of  the  river,  and  the  water  is  running  into  one  or  two  of  them. 
"  A  rise  of  a  foot  or  two  would  necessitate  the  removal  of  hun- 
"  dreds  of  head,  entailing  a  heavy  loss. 

"  BEARDSTOWN,  ILL.,  May  yth. — The  Illinois  River  is  rising 
"  very  rapidly  at  this  point.  The  recent  heavy  rains  have 
"  flooded  the  entire  region,  and  rivers,  creeks,  and  other  tribu- 
"  taries  are  pouring  in  immense  volumes  of  water,  which  are 
"flooding  the  Illinois  bottoms.  The  water  is  now  fourteen  feet 
"  above  low-water  mark,  and  is  destined  to  go  much  higher. 
"  The  whole  country,  from  this  city  to  the  bluffs  in  Schuyler 
"  County,  a  distance  of  four  miles,  is  one  vast  sheet  of  water, 
"  while  below,  at  some  points,  it  spreads  over  a  territory  from 
"  four  to  seven  miles.  The  river  has  not  been  as  high  for  many 
"  years.  Thousands  of  acres  of  valuable  land  are  submerged 
"  under  four  feet  of  water.  Farmers  who  live  in  the  bottoms 
"  have  transferred  their  stock  and  movable  property  to  the  high 
"lands,  and  from  their  places  of  safety  sorrowfully  look  down 
"upon  their  inundated  farms.  Fortunately,  the  rise  was  antici- 
"  pated,  and  no  loss  of  life  has  occurred,  but  the  damages  done 
"  to  the  farmers  will  be  stupendous.  It  is  probable  that  no 
"  crops  will  be  planted  on  the  now  submerged  lands.  In  that 
"  event,  thousands  of  acres  of  fertile  land  will  remain  idle  during 
"  this  year. 

"  HAVANA,  ILL.,  May  yth.  —The  Illinois  River  at  this  point  is 
"  from  bluff  to  bluff,  four  miles  wide,  and  is  rising  at  the  rate  of 
"  one  inch  an  hour,  the  highest  water  known  since  1849." 


ILLINOIS    VALLEY    A    SCENE    OF    DESOLATION.  79 

[From  the  Inter  Ocean  of  May  21,  1892.] 

"  ALARM    IN    PEORIA. 

"  PEORIA,  ILL.,  May  zoth. — Special  Telegram. — In  the  last 
"  four  hours  the  Illinois  River  has  risen  four  inches,  and  there  is 
"considerable  alarm  to-night  lest  the  bridges,  which  have  been 
"  subjected  to  such  severe  strains  in  the  last  two  weeks,  may  go 
"  out. 

"  All  the  bridges  between  this  city  and  East  Peoria  were  swept 
"out  this  evening.  The  entire  Illinois  Valley  is  a  scene  of  deso- 
"  lation.  Farms  that  are  usually  being  worked  at  this  time  of 
"  the  year  are  now  under  several  feet  of  water.  The  farmers 
"  have  abandoned  the  hope  of  being  able  to  get  a  crop  of  corn 
"  in  this  year,  as  the  season  will  be  too  late.  It  will  take  three 
"  or  four  weeks  of  the  most  favorable  weather  to  get  the  water 
"  off  the  farms,  and  the  ground  will  be  too  wet  to  work. 

"  The  big  ice-houses  in  this  city  are  surrounded  by  water, 
"  and  it  was  discovered  to-night  that  the  ice  had  been  melted  by 
"  the  warm  currents  and  washed  away.  This  represents  a  loss  of 
"  several  thousands  of  dollars." 

The  foregoing  are  samples  of  the  dispatches  from  the  river 
towns.  The  actual  damage  was  very  great  in  the  aggregate. 
Every  town  on  the  river,  and  probably  every  farm,  suffered  more 
or  less.  There  has  been  no  attempt  to  ascertain  the  total 
amount,  as  there  was  no  reason  for  so  doing;  but  when  the 
waters  of  Lake  Michigan  are  poured  down  at  the  rate  of  300,000 
cubic  feet  per  minute,  there  will  then  be  abundant  reason  for  col- 
lecting the  amount,  and  the  taxpayers  of  Chicago  will  have  full 
opportunity  to  know  what  it  will  be. 

If,  in  addition  to  damages  for  flooding  lands,  a  flood  should 
sweep  through  some  of  the  river  towns,  actually  accomplishing 
the  great  damage  which  was  in  May  only  threatened,  and  sweep 
away  homes,  warehouses,  factories,  bridges,  etc.,  and  destroy 
more  or  less  lives,  then  Chicago  would  realize  in  the  highest 
degree  the  blessings  of  a  "  tail-race." 

These  are  neither  remote  nor  improbable  consequences.  They 
are  the  natural  and  certain  results,  sooner  or  later,  of  carrying 
out  the  present  drainage  scheme,  and  they  are  certainly 
appalling. 


80  THE    VALUE    OF    A    WATER-WAV. 

THE  VALUE  OF  A  WATER-WAY. 

Some  general  notions  as  to  the  value  of  artificial  water-ways  are 
very  prevalent,  but  a  little  examination  will  show  that,  except  as  a 
means  of  transit  for  a  large  existing  commerce  through  a  short 
channel,  from  one  large  body  of  water  to  another,  s*uch  as  the 
Suez,  the  Welland,  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  and  the  Caledonian 
canals,  and  possibly  a  canal  across  the  isthmus  between  North 
and  South  America,  artificial  water-ways  have  generally  either 
been  abandoned,  or  maintained  at  an  expense  beyond  their 
income,  by  a  tax  of  some  sort  upon  the  general  public,  or  from 
resources  other  than  tolls. 

In  the  State  of  Indiana,  the  canals  have  long  since  been 
abandoned,  and  the  tow-paths  converted  into  lines  of  railroad 
track.  In  Ohio  they  have  canals  from  Cleveland  to  Ports- 
mouth on  the  Ohio  River,  and  from  Toledo  to  Cincinnati,  and 
two  short  lines,  aggregating  in  all  600  miles  of  canal,  and  cost- 
ing $15,000,000.  For  the  three  years  ending  January  i,  1892, 
their  aggregate  receipts  from  tolls,  sales  of  water-power,  and  all 
other  sources  were  $325,000;  their  aggregate  expenses  during 
the  same  period  were  $500,000.  The  receipts  of  all  the  canals 
have  fallen  from  $800,000  in  the  year  1851  to  $108,000  in  1891. 
Their  continuance  in  use,  however,  is  of  a  very  uncertain 
tenure. 

Even  the  New  York  &  Erie  Canal,  so  long  the  pride  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  seems  destined  to  succumb  to  the  inevitable. 
Traffic  on  the  canal  has  for  years  felt  the  effect  of  railroad  com- 
petition, and  concessions  have  been  made  from  time  to  time  in 
order  that  it  should  continue  in  use,  until  finally  the  entire  ex- 
pense of  maintaining  it  is  borne  by  the  State,  and  transportation 
is  made  free  of  tolls,  and  yet  its  use  as  a  means  of  transporta- 
tion has  become  unprofitable. 

The  following  is  taken  from  a  Chicago  paper  of  August  2, 
1892: 

"BUFFALO,  N.  Y.,  August  ist. — The  statement  of  the  exports 
"  by  canal  from  this  port,  from  the  opening  of  navigation  to 
"  date,  is  little  short  of  startling,  and  corroborates  the  state- 
"  ment  that  canal-boats  are  being  tied  up,  and  their  owners  seek- 
"  ing  other  employment.  Of  the  total  receipts  of  grain  in  the 
"above  period,  which  were  72,570,000  bushels,  the  largest  on 


WATER-WAYS    AS    REGULATORS    OF    RATES.  81 

"record,  only  10,242,000  bushels  were  shipped  by  canal,  the  rail- 
"  roads  getting  all  of  the  flour  shipments,  and  34,089,000  bush- 
"  of  grain,  or,  estimating  flour  as  wheat,  54,000,000  bushels  of 
"  the  total.  The  movement  by  canal  is  the  smallest  on  record 
"  for  the  same  time,  and  only  half  the  amount  shipped  in  1890  to 
"  August  ist.  The  railroads  have  been  carrying  grain  to  New  York 
"  at  2\  cents  a  bushel,  and  this  rate  the  canal-boat  men  can  not 
"compete  with  under  the  present  conditions." 

The  future  of  that  great  line  of  water  communication  is  a 
question  of  considerable  interest,  but  this  is  neither  the  time  nor 
the  place  for  any  extended  discussion.  Its  continuance  in  use 
is  doubtless  a  matter  of  State  pride,  and  if  the  results  of  closing  it 
should  be  such  as  some  people  prophesy,  it  would  have  not  only 
an  important  bearing  upon  the  future  of  the  city  of  New  York  as 
one  of  the  great  grain  markets  of  the  world,  but  be  of  great  im- 
portance as  affecting  the  cost  of  transporting  Western  crops 
to  the  seaboard. 

It  is  insisted,  and  with  some  apparent  reason,  that  any  sort  of 
a  canal  or  water-way  operates  as  a  restriction  upon  excessive 
charges  for  transportation  by  railroads,  and  that  the  effect  is  the 
same,  whether  a  pound  of  freight  is  carried  by  water  or  not. 

A  careful  study  of  the  history  of  freight  rates,  and  an  analysis 
of  the  conditions  under  which  rates  by  rail  are  affected  by  water 
communication,  will  probably  show  that  this  claim  is  not  as  well 
founded  as  many  believe. 

Take  the  case  of  the  canal  to  Joliet;  it  is  probably  a  fact 
that  the  rates  by  rail  between  Chicago  and  Joliet  are  higher  in 
winter  than  they  are  in  summer.  To  see  what  this  proves,  let  us 
go  back  a  little.  Down  to  1879,  the  receipts  from  tolls  upon  the 
canal  were  largely  in  excess  of  the  expenses  of  operating  it;  prior 
to  that  time,  railroads  had  been  reducing  rates,  and  the  canal  was 
compelled  to  meet  them,  until,  in  1879,  rates  came  down  to  a 
point  where  the  canal  could  not  secure  freight  by  underbidding. 
The  canal  commissioners  have  made  rates  for  that  purpose  ever 
since,  but  they  could  neither  secure  business  nor  tolls  sufficient 
to  pay  expenses.  The  plain  English  of  the  matter  is,  that  they 
are  now,  and  for  thirteen  years  have  been,  using  the  property  of 
the  State  to  make  low  rates  between  Chicago  and  Joliet;  or,  to 
put  the  matter  in  still  plainer  terms,  they  are  bushwhacking  the 
railroads  with  the  property  and  money  of  the  State. 


82  REASONS    FOR    LOW    RATES    BY    RAIL. 

Now  the  question  fairly  is,  What  would  have  been  the  rates 
by  canal,  if  there  had  been  no  railroad?  It  is  not  to  the  point 
to  say  that  if  the  railroads  could  carry  freight  in  summer  at 
one  figure,  that  figure  ought  to  be  enough  for  winter  carriage. 
The  reason  why  railroads  make  this  cut  in  summer  may  appear 
further  on,  but  the  fact  of  such  cut  in  summer  does  not  estab- 
lish, and  has  no  tendency  to  establish,  the  fact  that  the  winter 
rates  are  unreasonable. 

It  is  also  insisted  that  the  railroads  are  carrying  grain  from 
Buffalo  to  New  York  at  a  loss,  in  order  to  do  away  with  the  New 
York  &  Erie  Canal,  and,  that  this  being  accomplished,  rates 
by  rail  will  be  put  up  to  a  ruinous  figure,  and  that  therefore  the 
canal  should  be  maintained  even  at  public  expense. 

It  is  not  worth  while  for  one  not  in  the  counsels  of  railway 
managers,  to  undertake  to  speculate  upon  their  motives,  but 
there  are  some  things  which  are  obvious  upon  a  moment's 
reflection. 

For  instance,  a  railroad  must  maintain  its  equipment  of  roll- 
ing-stock and  its  force  of  employes.  Railroading,  like  manufact- 
uring under  similar  circumstances,  must  sometimes  be  done  even 
at  a  loss,  rather  than  have  the  equipment  degenerate  for  want  of 
use,  and  the  working  force  scattered  for  want  of  employment. 
It  requires  no  effort  of  the  imagination  to  suppose  that  railroads 
under  such  circumstances  carry  freight,  not  only  without  a  mar- 
gin of  profit,  but  at  an  actual  loss;  in  short,  railway  managers 
may  well  say,  "  Here  is  the  work  to  be  done,  we  have  the  means 
"  to  do  it,  and  we  are  going  to  do  it  at  a  rate  that  will  secure  it." 
Another  consideration  affecting  the  rates  of  freight  by  rail,  is 
the  fact  that  very  often  empty  cars  are  wanted  at  the  other  end 
of  the  road.  It  costs  but  little  more  to  send  full  cars  than  it 
does  to  send  them  empty,  and  so  a  rate  will  be  made,  which, 
while  it  is  transportation  at  a  loss,  this  loss  is  not  so  great  as  it 
would  be  were  the  cars  sent  forward  empty. 

So  far  as  the  transportation  of  grain  to  the  seaboard  is  con- 
cerned, there  are  too  many  rival  lines,  competition  is  so  active, 
and  the  interests  of  the  great  lines  of  railway  terminating  in 
New  York  City  are  so  vital,  to  preserve  that  city  as  the  great 
seaboard  market  for  grain,  as  against  Portland,  Boston,  Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore,  and  Richmond,  and  as  against  direct  ship- 
ments to  Europe  by  the  way  of  the  St  Lawrence,  or  by  the 
Mississippi  River  and  Gulf  of  Mexico,  that  the  probability  of 


RAILROADS  HAVE  CAUSED  LOW  RATES.  83 

extortionate  rates  by  rail  from  Lake  Erie  ports  to  New  York 
City  is  very  remote. 

So  far  as  freights  are  concerned,  the  competition  is  so  fierce 
that  the  most  solemn  agreements  on  the  part  of  railway  man- 
agers to  maintain  rates  are.  constantly  broken,  even  when  aided 
by  the  rigorous  provisions  of  the  interstate  railroad  law. 

Jay  Gould  has  a  lot  of  barges  tied  up  and  rotting  along  the 
Mississippi  River.  He  did  ship  some  grain  by  those  barges  to 
New  Orleans.  He  is  supposed  to  be  addicted  to  ways  that  are 
profitable,  and  if  there  was  a  profit  in  sending  grain  down  the 
river,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  he  would  know  it,  and 
attempt  to  realize  it. 

There  are  people  unkind  enough  to  say  that  he  built  those 
barges  as  a  stock-jobbing  operation,  and  that  they  were  intended 
more  to  affect  Wall  Street,  than  as  a  means  of  transportation. 
Those  who  are  in  the  secret  of  his  wizard-like  performances 
can  say  whether  this  is  correct  or  not. 

To  sum  the  matter  up,  it  may  be  said,  with  perfect  accuracy, 
that  the  transportation  of  freight  by  rail  has  revolutionized  the 
commercial  systems  of  the  world.  The  lines  of  freight  cars 
which  one  sees  snaking  in  every  direction  across  our  broad  con- 
tinent, are  exponents  of  a  power  which  has  contributed,  more 
than  any  other  single  agency,  to  the  development  of  the  age 
in  which  we  live. 

To  say  that  rates  of  freight  are  in  general  controlled  by 
water  competition,  is  to  say  that  the  greater  is  controlled  by  the 
less. 

There  are  those  who  will  say  that  this  is  manifestly  so  as  to 
the  great  grain  shipments  from  Chicago,  and  other  lake  ports,  to 
Buffalo.  Here,  too,  a  little  examination  will  show  that  this 
claim  needs  limitations.  Old-fashioned  vessels  were  fully  loaded 
when  40,000  to  60,000  bushels  of  grain  were  stored  in  their  holds; 
now,  the  great  lake  liners  carry  from  90,000  to  125,000  bushels 
of  grain.  The.  old-fashioned  hull  was  pear-shaped,  while  now, 
the  sides  of  new  vessels  are  perpendicular,  or  bulge  outward  be- 
low the  water  line,  and  their  bottoms  are  square  to  the  sides; 
and,  even  as  thus  constructed,  the  new  boats  being  built,  as 
before  stated,  are  of  an  increased  width.  In  short,  every  effort 
is  made  to  secure  extension  and  economy  of  space,  in  order  that 
they  may  secure  freight.  It  is  only  as  they  carry  these  huge 
masses,  that  they  can  compete  with  shipments  by  rail.  Deep- 


84  EFFECT    OF    WATER-WAY    ON    CHICAGO. 

water  navigation  upon  natural  water  routes  will  probably  be  able 
to  hold  its  own  against  railroad  competition,  on  account  of  the 
immense  cargoes  which  can  be  carried  by  a  single  vessel,  but  be- 
yond this,  for  equal  distances,  water  transportation  will  get  only 
the  leavings. 

To  compare  any  system  of  water  freighting  across  the  State 
of  Illinois,  or  up  and  down  the  Mississippi,  with  those  great  trans- 
ports upon  the  lakes,  comes  pretty  near  being  ridiculous. 

The  eighteen-foot  channel  proposed  by  the  water-way  crowd  is 
utterly  impracticable,  either  across  the  State  of  Illinois,  or  up  and 
down  the  Mississippi  River;  but  if  it  were  otherwise,  if  such  a  chan- 
nel could  be  built  and  maintained,  and  vessels  of  sixteen  to  eight- 
een foot  draught  could  pass  Chicago,  cross  the  State  of  Illinois, 
and  thence  up  and  down  the  Mississippi  River,  it  would  be  well 
for  some  of  these  gentlemen  who  claim  to  have  broad  and  com- 
prehensive views,  to  explain  what  would  be  the  effect  upon 
Chicago  as  a  grain  market.  It  produces  a  "  goneness  "  of  feel- 
ing, to  think  that  there  are  in  Chicago,  men  supposed  to  be 
intelligent,  who  advocate  the  expenditure  of  millions  of  dollars 
by  the  city  of  Chicago  for  the  construction  of  such  a  work. 

Finally,  upon  the  subject  of  water-way  competition,  it  must 
be  remembered  that  boats  must  be  kept  in  readiness  to  do  the 
business,  and  it  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  people  are  going  to 
keep  up  boats  ready  for  work  but  lying  in  idleness,  simply  as  a 
check  upon  railroads. 

The  fact  is,  that  the  basis  of  all  business  is  profit,  and 
unprofitable  water-ways  must  go  into  the  limbo  of  other  anti- 
quated productions. 

It  almost  seems  idle  to  discuss  the  question  of  a  great  water- 
way in  connection  with  the  channel  now  undertaken  by  the 
Drainage  Board.  As  we  have  seen,  this  channel  terminates  in  a 
sluice-way  4^  miles  long,  having  a  current  six  to  eight  miles  an 
hour.  Practically  speaking,  it  may  be  said  that  by  propositions 
two  and  three  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  it  will  cost  $6,000,000 
to  carry  a  navigable  channel  from  Lockport  down  to  the  upper 
basin,  and  this  without  including  the  necessary  expense  of 
immense  locks. 

The  value  of  a  great  water-way  between  Chicago  and  Joliet 
depends  upon  the  improvement  by  the  General  Government  of 
the  Illinois  River  upon  a  scale  commensurate  with  the  work  this 
side  of  Joliet. 


CAPT.    MARSHALL    ON    DEEP    WATER-WAYS.  85 

The  report  of  Capt.  Marshall  above  referred  to  may  be 
said  to  have  put  a  final  quietus  upon  any  such  project,  so  far  as 
the  United  States  Government  is  concerned.  Upon  the  subject 
of  the  cost  of  a  water-way,  Capt.  Marshall  says:  "Noestimate 
"  has  yet  been  made  of  the  cost  of  securing  a  depth  of  ten  feet 
"of  water  to  St.  Louis;  $17,000,000  is  estimated  to  get  eight 
"  feet  from  St.  Louis  to  Cairo;  what  it  will  cost  to  get  and  main- 
"  tain  the  additional  two  feet  in  that  region  of  moving  sands,  no 
"  one  knows. 

"  No  estimates  have  been  made  to  carry  ten  feet  to  the  mouth 
"of  the  Missouri,  nor  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  nor  fourteen 
"  feet,  up  the  Illinois  to  La  Salle,  but  for  fourteen  feet  from  La 
"  Salle  to  Lake  Michigan,  an  estimate  is  herewith,  of  more  than 
"  forty-eight  millions. 

"The  definite  estimates  then  so  far  submitted,  foot  up  nearly 
"  one  hundred  millions,  and  leave  us  with  eight  feet  draft  below 
"St.  Louis,  and  not  exceeding  five  feet  above,  to  La  Salle." 

Capt.  Marshall  gives  a  table  of  the  number  and  capacity  of 
the  steamers  navigating  the  Mississippi  River  and  its  tributaries, 
and  their  draft  and  carrying  capacity  in  1890.  There  were  only 
fourteen  steamers  drawing  nine  feet  of  water,  and  with  a  carrying 
capacity  of  16,600  tons.  There  were  712  steamers  drawing  less 
than  eight  feet  of  water  with  a  carrying  capacity  of  160,000  tons. 

He  further  says  that  the  largest  Mississippi  River  steamer 
that  reaches  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  draws  about  seven  feet  of 
water,  when  loaded  to  its  fullest  capacity.  Continuing,  Capt. 
Marshall  says:  "  No  greater  depth  of  channel  than  nine  feet  at 
"  extreme  low  water  in  Lake  Michigan,  across  the  Chicago 
"  Divide,  seems  necessary  for  navigation  by  the  largest  Missis- 
"  sippi  River  craft,  which  can  neither  reach  it,  nor  use  it. 

"  Beyond  the  Chicago  Divide  (that  is,  west  of  the  summit) 
"  there  is  no  apparent  necessity  at  present,  nor  likely  to  exist  in 
"  the  near  future,  either  national  or  local,  for  any  channel  of 
"  greater  capacity  than  eight  feet  in  depth  between  the  Missis- 
"sippi  River  and  the  Great  Lakes." 

Upon  the  question  of  the  propriety  of  the  United  States 
Government  undertaking  the  work  of  deepening  the  channel  of 
the  Illinois  River,  and  of  assuming  to  pay  the  damages  caused 
by  turning  a  large  quantity  of  water  from  Lake  Michigan  into  it, 
Capt.  Marshall  says  in  his  report: 

'•  This  artificial    discharge   is   not  necessary  for  navigation 


86  CAPT.    MARSHALL    ON    FLOODING    LANDS. 

"'anywhere  along  the  line,  and  can  not  be  said  to  benefit  naviga- 
"  tion  anywhere  to  such  an  extent  as  to  justify  the  United  States 
"  Government  assuming  responsibility  for  flowage  damage  caused 
"  by  it. 

"  The  discharge  is  proposed  to  be  constant,  whereas  if  it 
"  were  produced  by  the  United  States  for  the  benefit  of  naviga- 
"  tion  it  would  be  introduced  into  the  Illinois  only  at  low  stages, 
"when  it  would  be  beneficial  to  navigation,  and  harmless  to 
"  property. 

"  Now,  at  any  little  summer  freshet,  producing  a  discharge 
"  exceeding  8,000  cubic  feet  per  second  at  La  Salle,  damage 
"  by  overflow  would  begin  at  that  point,  the  artificial  discharge 
"  being  10,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  and  with  greater  natural 
"  discharge,  become'  more  and  more  widespread,  as  we  progress 
"  down  stream,  at  times  when  such  overflows  would  not  otherwise 
"  occur.  Upon  all  rises  of  the  river  producing  anywhere  near 
"  bank-full  stages,  this  artificial  discharge  would  cause  flowage 
"  damages  that  would  not  otherwise  occur.  The  lands  would 
"  become  submerged  at  high  water  earlier,  and  the  water  remain 
"  upon  them  longer,  than  it  otherwise  would.  From  100,000  to 
"  300,000  acres  of  land  in  the  Illinois  River  Valley  will  be  subject 
"to  such  conditions. 

"  That  feature,  therefore,  in  the  Chicago  drainage  and  water- 
"  way  laws,  that  requires  a  constant  discharge  of  from  306,000 
"to  600,000  cubic  feet  per  minute,  seems,  in  view  of  past  expe- 
"  rience,  decidedly  objectionable,  if  the  water  is  to  be  introduced 
"through  any  canal  either  owned  or  used  by  the  United  States 
"  for  public  purposes,  if,  by  such  ownership  or  use  the  United 
"  States  can  be  made  responsible  for  damages  due  to  such  con- 
stant discharge." 

Mr.  Cooley  has  indexed  his  pamphlet,  above  referred  to,  in 
some  dozen  to  twenty  different  places,  upon  what  he  terms  the 
blunders,  errors,  misstatements,  and  omissions  of  Capt.  Mar- 
shall. The  latter  still  lives,  however,  and  continues  in  charge  of 
the  Government  work,  and,  upon  occasion,  can  doubtless  obtain 
the  highest  indorsement  from  capable  judges  as  to  his  engineer- 
ing capacity.  The  reader  has  had  some  means  of  judging  as  to 
whether  Mr.  Cooley  is  entitled  to  a  like  certificate. 

This  report  of  Capt.  Marshall  was  made  in  1890,  and  yet, 
in  1891,  we  find  Cooley,  Williams,  and  Hurd  before  the  Legisla- 
ture, resisting  the  application  of  the  Drainage  Commissioners  in 


DISTANCES    BY    RIVER    AND    BY    RAIL.  87 

their  effort  to  modify  the  requirements  of  an  eighteen-foot  rock- 
cut  channel,  and  we  have  Mr.  Cooley's  pamphlet,  published  in 
1891,  in  advocacy  of  a  great  water-way.  Possessed  with  this 
idea,  they  undoubtedly  look  forward  to  a  time  when  it  will  pre- 
vail, and  steps  be  taken  to  carry  it  into  effect.  No  legislation  in 
that  direction  has  been  taken,  nor  is  any  likely  to  be.  The  River 
and  Harbor  Committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives  is  com- 
posed of  men,  many  of  whom  have  served  upon  it  for  years,  and 
are  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  questions  affecting  the  Missis- 
sippi and  its  tributaries,  nor  is  it  likely  that  this  committee  will, 
through  any  political  upheaval,  be  deprived  of  men  of  that  char- 
acter. They  know  that  on  the  Lower  Mississippi,  during  the 
palmiest  days  of  river  navigation,  no  boats  were  ever  built  draw- 
ing over  nine  feet  of  water,  and  that  for  the  Upper  Mississippi — 
that  is,  between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Paul — boats  were  not  built  for 
a  draft  of  more  than  six  feet  when  loaded,  and  that  the  channel 
of  the  Mississippi  River  is  constantly  changing;  that  sand-bars 
are  forming  and  disappearing,  and  that  the  attempt  to  maintain 
a  channel  in  the  river,  of  greater  depth  than  will  suffice  for  such 
boats,  could  only  be  successful  at  an  expense  far  beyond  what 
would  be  warranted,  and  wholly  unnecessary. 

A  further  consideration  as  to  the  uselessness  of  a  great  water- 
way between  Chicago  and  the  Mississippi  River  is  the  fact  that  the 
great  grain  shipments  from  the  West  reach  the  river  by  rail,  and 
it  is  simple  nonsense  to  suppose  that  bulk  will  be  broken  at  river 
points,  on  freight  between  points  west  of  the  river  and  Chicago,  or 
that  any  saving  could  be  made  in  expense  by  the  use  of  water 
transportation.  The  distances  from  points  on  the  Mississippi 
River,  at  railroad  crossings,  to  Chicago  by  rail  and  water,  are  as 
follows: 
To  Chicago  from  By  River — Miles.  By  Rail-  Miles. 

La  Crosse 853 .276 

Dubuque 720 .184 

Clinton 652 -.138 

Savannah •_ 675. .138 

Davenport 613 183 

Burlington 529 206 

Fort  Madison. 505 237 

Louisiana 393 274 

No  man  having  the  least  practical  knowledge  of  transporta- 
tion, but  will  recognize  in  the  extra  handling  of  freight, 
insurance  by  river,  the  delay  of  several  days  in  transportation, 


88  RIVER    TRANSPORTATION    ON    THE    DECLINE. 

the  loss  of  interest  while  property  is  in  transit,  the  inconven- 
ience of  being  deprived  of  the  use  of  capital  by  the  delay  in 
reaching  the  market,  and  the  possible  loss  from  a  falling  market 
while  the  grain  is  going  by  water,  elements  more  than  sufficient 
to  cut  off  any  competition  between  rail  and  water,  on  freight 
between  points  west  of  the  river  and  Chicago,  going  in  either 
direction.  The  great  item  of  freight  on  the  Lower  Mississippi 
is  cotton,  and  that  will  go  to  New  Orleans  for  an  Eastern  or 
foreign  market. 

It  is  notorious  that  transportation  on  our  Western  rivers  has 
been  for  the  past  twenty  years  rapidly  on  the  decline;  this  has 
been  apparent  to  the  most  casual  observer;  but  that  the  matter 
should  not  be  one  of  general  impression,  circular  letters  were 
sent  in  May,  1891,  to  many  of  the  most  important  river  towns 
upon  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries,  containing  this  inquiry: 

"  What  relation  does  the  traffic  (passenger  and  freight)  by 
"steamer,  now  bear  to  the  same  traffic,  twenty  years  ago." 

Some  eleven  replies  were  received,  in  substance  as  follows: 

From  Leavenworth,  Kan. — Little  or  no  traffic  by  steamer. 
Business  increased  50  to  75  per  cent. 

(Signed)  H.  M.  MOORE, 

Secretary  Board  of  Trade. 

From  Cairo,  111. — About  half  the  up-river  business.  General 
merchandise  business  increased  five  to  one. 

(Signed)  E.  W.  HALIDAY. 

From  La  Crosse,  Wis. — The   various    packet  lines   have  all 
disappeared,  excepting  the  Diamond  Joe  Line,  and  that  company 
has  only  recently  made  the  upper  river  a  regular  route. 
(Signed)  R.  CALVERT, 

Secretary  Board  of  Trade. 

From  Dubuque,  Iowa. — Not  more  than  one  third  the  freight 
by  steamer  now  that  there  was  twenty  years  ago.  General 
business  ten  times  as  much. 

(Signed)  E.  B.  FARLEY, 

Secretary  Board  of  Trade. 

From  MacGregor,  Iowa. — River  traffic  one-sixth  of  what  it 
was  then.     General  business  about  the  same. 
(Unsigned) 

From  Winona,  Minn. — Freight  by  river  one  now  to  fifty 
twenty  years  ago,  except  logs.  General  business  four  times 
greater  now  than  then. 

(Signed)  D.  SINCLAIR, 

Editor  Daily  Republican. 


BOATS    BUILT    IN    PAST    TWENTY- FIVE    YEARS.  89 

From  Savannah,  111. — Freight  by  river  no  comparison;  way 
behind.     General  business  has  increased  in  the  same  ratio. 
(Unsigned) 

From  Wheeling,  W.  Va. — River  traffic  fallen  off  25  per  cent. 
General  business  ten  times  greater. 

(Signed)  H.  QUARRFER, 

President  Board  of  Trade. 

From  Alton,  111. — About  one-fourth  the  number  of  steam- 
boats on  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers  that  there  was  twenty 
years  ago,  and  they  carry  about  one-fourth  the  freight  that  was 
then  carried.  General  business  more  than  doubled. 

(Signed)  R.  T.  SARGENT, 

Steamboat  Agent. 

From  Hannibal,  Mo. — Freight  traffic  by  river  one-half  what 
it  was  twenty  years  ago.     Business  has  increased  50  per  cent. 
(Unsigned) 

From  St.  Joseph,  Mo. — Traffic  by  steamer  i  per  cent,  of  what 
it  was  twenty  years  ago.    General  business  four  times  as  large. 
(Signed)  F.  T.  SCHRADER, 

Secretary  Board  of  Trade. 

The  decadence  of  traffic  upon  our  Western  rivers  is  further 
witnessed  by  the  report  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of 
Navigation,  for  1890,33  to  the  annual  average  amount  of  tonnage 
of  water  craft  built  for  navigation  on  our  Western  rivers. 

To  condense  the  matter,  this  average  is  given  in  groups  of 
five  years  from  1865  to  1890,  as  follows: 

Years.  Tons. 

1865-1870  Annual  Average 5I)9°i 

1870-1875         "  « 55,717 

1875-1880         «  «        42,552 

1880-1885         "  "        38,580 

1885-1890  11,355 

There  are  about  17,000  miles  of  navigable  waters  of  the 
Mississippi  and  its  tributaries,  and  notwithstanding  the  immense 
growth  and  development  of  the  country  from  the  close  of  the 
war  in  1865  down  to  1890,  especially  of  that  portion  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  both  north  and  south,  it  appears  that  the  annual 
tonnage  built  for  the  five  years  ending  with  1889  is  scarcely  one- 
fifth  of  what  it  was  twenty  years  previous.  These  river  craft  are 
flat-bottomed,  lightly  built,  and  short-lived,  and  yet  the  require- 
ments of  river  navigation  have  not  been  such  as  to  maintain  the 
actual  tonnage.  Year  by  year  it  has  steadily  declined. 


90  STATE    INTERFERENCE    IN    TRANSPORTATION. 

It  is  in  the  face  of  such  facts  and  figures  that  the  city  of 
Chicago  is  called  upon  to  expend  thirty  to  forty  millions  of 
dollars  in  the  flatulent  scheme  of  a  ship  canal  from  Bridgeport 
to  Joliet.  It  would  seem  as  though  among  the  noisy  advocates 
of  this  expensive  work  there  should  be  found  some  one  able  and 
willing  to  give  a  calm  and  rational  estimate  of  its  value  to  the 
interests  of  commerce. 

Cheap  rates  for  the  transportation  of  freight  are  very 
desirable,  and  may  be  secured  by  a  State  having  sufficient 
resources,  in  various  ways;  it  may  build  lines  of  railway  or  canal, 
and  operate  them  without  reference  to  the  income  to  be  derived 
therefrom;  it  may  subsidize  existing  lines,  or  maintain  them  at 
public  expense;  all  this  is  simple  enough,  but  there  is,  or  there 
ought  to  be,  some  underlying  principle. 

The  only  principle  which  can  justify  taxation  of  the  public 
for  such  a  purpose  is,  that  it  is  for  the  general  welfare;  hence 
the  questions  to  be  considered  in  proposing  any  interference  on 
the  part  of  the  State  are,  Who  are  to  be  benefited,  whether 
the  benefits  are  general,  arid  whether  they  bear  any  proportion 
to  the  proposed  expenditure. 

These  questions  can  not  be  answered  by  vague  declamation 
or  dogmatic  assertions.  If  there  is  any  substantial  basis  for  the 
use  of  public  money  for  the  purpose  of  cheapening  transporta- 
tion, the  advocates  of  such  use  should  find  some  facts  and 
figures  in  its  support;  and  these  facts  and  figures  are  not  to 
be  found  in  what  the  New  York  &  Erie  Canal  accomplished  fifty 
years  ago,  nor  in  what  Manchester,  England,  is  trying  to  do  to- 
day, but  in  the  needs  of  the  day  and  hour,  here  where  the  scheme 
is  to  be  worked  out. 

A  somewhat  laborious  search  through  that  mass  of  specula- 
tion and  conjecture  compounded  by  Mr.  Cooley,  and  issued 
forth  under  the  pretentious  but  obscure  title  of,  "  The  Lake  and 
Gulf  Water-way  as  Related  to  the  Chicago  Sanitary  Problem," 
does  not  disclose  any  facts,  figures,  or  theory  upon  which  such  a 
channel  could  be  considered  of  value.  This  composition,  or 
mosaic  of  fragments,  must  be  a  "preliminary  report" — it  begins 
nowhere,  rambles  at  will  in  a  jerky,  disjointed  fashion,  and  con- 
cludes nothing.  It  is  an  amplified  specimen  of  what  may  be 
expected  when  a  man  "continues  at  large." 

Mr.  Cooley  says,  speaking  of  a  depth  of  ten  feet  of  water  in 
the  Mississippi,  between  the  mouths  of  the  Illinois  and  Missouri 


WATER-WAY    ELOQUENCE.  91 

rivers,  "  No  one  will  contend  that  this  depth  can  not  be  had 
"over  this  twenty-four  miles,  if  there  is  any  wise  purpose  to  be 
"subserved,  as  there  would  be."  "As  there  would  be."  This  is 
taken  from  an  article  written  by  Mr.  Cooley  and  published  in 
the  Chicago  Tribune,  January  29,  1890,  in  advocacy  of  a  ten-foot 
channel  in  the  Mississippi,  between  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois 
River  and  St.  Louis.  "  If  there  is  any  wise  purpose  to  be  sub- 
" served,  as  there  would  be!  "  Perhaps  the  fact  that  Mr.  Cooley 
has  declared  the  creation  of  such  a  channel  "a  wise  purpose  " 
establishes  that  fact.  There  are  certainly  no  other  reasons  for 
believing  it  anything  else  than  an  act  of  supreme  folly. 

It  may  be  said  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Cooley,  that  he  is  an  engi- 
neer; that  he  is  a  man  of  vast  ideas;  that  he  does  not  pretend  to 
take  cognizance  of  the  sober  realities  of  this  work-a-day  world, 
but  dwells  in  the  vast  empyrean  of  sublimated  ether,  where  his 
spirit  roams  at  will,  uncontrolled  by  the  sordid  elements  of  prac- 
tical life — this  may  be  so;  if  we  take  what  he  has  written  upon 
the  subject  of  a  water-way,  as  indicative  of  the  sobriety  of  his 
judgment,  this  explanation  would  seem  to  be  correct. 

There  is  yet  another  apostle  of  the  great  water-way.  Listen 
to  Carter  Harrison  as  he  expounded  the  glories  of  a  great  water- 
way to  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  in  January, 
1887: 

"To-day  there  are  distant  rumblings  of  possible  war  between 
"this  country  and  England,  and  mighty  interests  are  alarmed  by 
"  the  exposures  made  by  scientific  men  of  the  ease  with  which 
"this  and  other  lake  cities  may  be  blown  into  atoms  by  British 
"gun-boats,  before  this  country  can  be  ready  for  war.  If  this 
"  canal,  necessary  for  Chicago  drainage,  were  now  finished,  gun- 
"  boats  could  be  rapidly  built  which  could  lock  up  in  the  Welland 
"Canal  England's  navy,  whereas,  to  build  now  a  single  gun-boat 
"capable  of  reaching  Lake  Erie  would  be  a  declaration  of  war. 

"Government  should  build  this  canal,  and  should  commence 
"it  at  once,  and  through  its  building  unload  itself  of  the  idle 
"hundred  millions  in  its  vaults,  which  should  be  giving  work  and 
"bread  to  industrious  laborers;  and  by  the  aid  of  such  canal 
"placing  itself  in  a  position  which  would  not  bring  a  blush  of 
"  shame  to  the  American  cheek,  by  a  repetition  of  the  Mason  and 
"Slidell  fiasco. 

"If  Government  will  not  build  it,  then  Illinois,  with  its  proud 
"position  of  third  State  in  the  Union,  owing  not  a  dollar  of  debt, 


92  BRITISH    NAVY    TO    BE    PUT    UNDER    LOCK   AND    KEY. 

"should  do  the  work.  If  the  State,  blind  to  its  interests,  refuses, 
"then  Chicago  should  not  supinely  call  upon  national  or  State 
"  Herculi  for  help,  but  should  put  its  own  shoulder  to  the  wheel; 
"  should  demand  of  the  State  the  privilege  and  power  to  do  the 
"thing,  and  should  build  the  mighty  work.  It  should  do  that 
"  itself  which  is  necessary  for  its  health  and  comfort,  even  if  by 
"so  doing  it  frees  the  nation  from  periodic  scares  by  enabling  it 
"  to  build  gun-boats  which  would  hold  the  keys  to  the  Welland 
"  Canal.  It  should  finish  the  work  itself,  even  though  by  so  doing 
"  it  would  give  the  Northwest  a  river  capable  of  floating  great 
"steamers  between  the  lakes  and  the  Mississippi,  carrying  on  a 
"  mighty  trade,  and  worth  more  to  the  people  in  governing  rail- 
*'road  traffic,  and  lessening  extortions,  than  a  dozen  interstate 
"commerce  bills." 

And  it  is  by  such  rodomontade  as  this,  and  purblind  blinking 
at  the  commercial  value  of  a  great  water-way  down  along  the 
Illinois  bottoms,  that  Chicago  is  to  be  led  into  the  expenditure 
of  $30,000,000  or  $40,000,000. 

Undoubtedly  this  volume  of  water  would  dilute  the  sewage, 
and  if  it  were  necessary  to  build  the  channel  for  that  purpose,  we 
should  have  to  submit;  but  it  is  not  necessary;  and  further,  as  has 
been  shown,  the  scheme  was  put  through  for  the  establishment 
of  a  great  water-way,  to  which  the  sewage  question  was  only 
incidental. 


THE  ENGINEERING  PROBLEM. 


The  writer  makes  no  pretensions  to  a  knowledge  of  engineer- 
ing, but  it  would  seem  as  though  all  questions  of  a  general  char- 
acter, involved  in  the  creation  of  a  canal  from  Bridgeport  to  the 
upper  basin,  ought  to  be  understood  by  any  man  of  practical 
common  sense. 

The  Des  Plaines  River,  flowing  southerly,  at  a  point  about  a 
half  mile  north  of  Summit — a  station  on  the  Alton  Railroad,  8f 
miles  from  Bridgeport — turns  rather  sharply  to  the  southwest,  and 
flows  in  that  general  direction  through  a  narrow  valley,  from 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  to  a  mile  in  width,  to  Joliet,  a  distance  from 
that  point  of  about  twenty-five  miles.  The  present  canal  and  the 
Alton  and  Santa  F6  railroads  traverse  the  valley.  The  country 
between  Chicago  and  Summit  is  level,  but  from  Summit  to  Joliet 
are  ranges  of  hills  on  both  sides,  and  any  canal  from  Summit  to 
Joliet  must  go  down  the  valley.* 

The  low-water  mark  of  Lake  Michigan  is  called  Chicago 
datum,  and  is  the  level  from  which  calculations  of  height  or 
depression  are  made.  Chicago  datum  is  not  an  extreme  low- 
water  level.  The  lake  stood  at  about  datum  for  thirty  days 
during  1889,  and  for  half  the  year  was  only  six  inches  above. 

At  the  summit,  the  low-water  level  of  Des  Plaines  is  eight 
feet  above  datum,  and,  with  a  slight  fall,  continues  above  datum 
until  Romeo  is  reached,  twenty-five  miles  from  Bridgeport,  where 
the  surface  of  low  water  in  the  Des  Plaines  is  about  level  with 
datum.  At  Lockport  there  is  a  rapid  fall  of  twenty  feet,  and 
between  Lockport  and  Joliet  there  is  a  fall  of  about  twenty-two 
feet,  making  the  aggregate  fall  in  the  Des  Plaines,  from  the 


*  The  various  points  on  the  route  to  which  references  are  sometimes  made, 
and  their  distances  from  point  to  point,  are  about  as  follows:  Bridgeport  to  Sum- 
mit, 8f  miles;  thence  to  Willow  Springs,  4*  miles;  thence  to  Sag,  4^  miles; 
thence  to  Lament,  si  miles;  thence  to  Romeo,  4$  miles;  thence  to  the  locks  at 
Lockport,  3i  miles;  thence  to  head  of  Upper  Pool,  3!  miles;  thence  to  the 
natural  level  of  the  Des  Plaines  at  Joliet,  ii  miles. 


94  SIMPLICITY    OF    THE    WORK. 

summit  to  the  natural  bed  at  Joliet,  about  fifty  feet,  and  from 
Chicago  datum  forty-two  feet. 

The  Des  Plaines  Valley  is  about  one-half  mile  wide  at  the 
summit,  one-fourth  at  Willow  Springs,  and  over  a  mile  wide  at 
Romeo  and  Lockport.  The  surface  of  the  valley  is  comparatively 
level  between  the  hills  on  either  side,  and  has  a  slope  from 
Summit  to  Lockport,  substantially  corresponding  to  the  level  of 
the  Des  Plaines  River;  the  so-called  "Sag"  cuts  no  material 
figure  in  the  valley. 

The  bed  of  the  Des  Plaines  River  varies  in  width.  It  is  about 
200  feet  wide  at  Summit,  and  from  400  to  600  feet  wide  between 
Willow  Springs  and  Lament. 

This,  then,  was  the  engineering  feat  to  be  accomplished. 
Starting  at  Bridgeport,  fourteen  feet  below  datum,  to  dig  a  ditch 
to  the  upper  basin,  through  a  fairly  level  valley,  for  a  distance 
of  about  thirty  miles  at  a  descending  grade  of  five  or  six  inches 
to  the  mile,  and  an  increase  of  four  feet  in  depth  through  the 
rock-cut. 

About  a  half  million  dollars  has  been  expended  on  that  im- 
mense problem — at  least  the  half  million  has  been  expended,  and 
the  figures  of  engineers  and  some  office  furniture  is  all  there  is  to 
show  for  it. 

It  is  a  significant  commentary  upon  that  engineering  work, 
that  Congress  passed  an  act  in  August,  1888,  for  the  survey  of 
a  water-way  from  Chicago  to  the  Mississippi  River.  The  survey 
was  commenced  by  Capt.  Marshall  in  May,  1889.  He  surveyed  a 
route  from  Calumet  to  the  sag,  from  Bridgeport  to  the  sag,  from 
the  sag  to  Joliet,  and  from  Joliet  to  La  Salle;  made  extensive 
borings  and  a  complete  profile  map  of  the  entire  route  from  Lake 
Michigan  to  La  Salle,  and  detailed  estimates  of  the  cost,  and 
made  his  report  to  the  Secretary  of  War  on  February  28,  1890, 
and  all  at  an  expense  of  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 
Great  are  the  ways  of  great  water-way  men! 

RETROSPECT. 

Looking  back  over  the  history  of  the  efforts  which  have  been 
made  by  the  people  of  Chicago  to  provide  adequate  means  of  drain- 
age, the  records  of  the  men  who  have  had  to  do  with  the  matter, 
and  the  results  which  have  been  obtained,  and  anticipating  those 
which  are  likely  to  follow  if  the  present  drainage  scheme  is  carried 


PEOPLE    WANTED    DRAINAGE,    NOT    A    WATER-WAV.  95 

out,  the  man  must  be  of  an  exceedingly  optimistic  temperament 
who  can  look  with  tranquility  upon  the  past,  or  augur  favorable 
results  for  the  future. 

Whether  the  Drainage  Act  was  a  wise  enactment,  or  whether 
any  of  the  men  who  were  instrumental  in  procuring  it,  or  have 
been  connected  with  its  execution,  are  deserving  of  censure,  are 
questions  which  every  reader  must  decide  for  himself,  on  the  facts. 

It  has  been  reviewed  as  a  Drainage  Act,  but,  as  is  apparent, 
the  effort  of  its  contrivers  was,  to  secure  a  great  water-way. 

Whatever  may  be,  or  may  have  been,  the  views  of  some  wild 
theorists  about  a  water-way,  the  fact  is  indisputable  that  the  vast 
majority  of  the  people  of  Chicago  voted  for  the  Drainage  Act 
solely  with  reference  to  drainage.  They  were  told  by  the  Press, 
and  by  enthusiastic  visionaries,  that  we  should  have  a  great 
water-way  for  the  navigation  of  vessels  of  thirteen  to  seventeen 
feet  draught  from  the  Mississippi  River  to  Chicago,  and  the 
commerce  of  the  city  doubled  or  trebled;  that  future  generations 
would  look  at  the  vast  work  with  admiration  and  awe;  miles  and 
miles  of  valuable  docks  were  to  line  its  banks,  a  great  water- 
power  was  to  be  created,  and  numberless  factories  be  moved  by 
its  surplus  waters;  vast  quantities  of  valuable  stone  were  to  be 
excavated,  which  could  be  used  in  building;  millions  of  cubic 
yards  of  earth  were  to  be  thrown  up,  which  could  be  utilized  in 
filling  up  the  Lake  Front,  and,  lastly,  and  not  the  weakest  voiced 
among  them,  came  the  anglo-phobist,  who  averred  that  whereas, 
by  treaty  with  England,  the  United  States  could  now  only  main- 
tain one  war-vessel  on  our  lakes,  if  this  great  water-way  should 
be  created,  we  could  have  down  somewhere  in  the  interior  of  the 
State  a  navy  yard,  with  a  fleet  of  Wasp  and  Hornet  gun-boats 
ready  to  sweep  the  lakes  of  every  "  blarsted  Britisher"  that 
dared  to  show  his  head,  and  home  rule  for  Ireland  was  to  feel 
the  effect. 

All  the  talk  about  a  navy  to  be  held  in  readiness  somewhere 
down  in  Peoria  or  Tazewell  counties  is  sheer  nonsense,  and  be- 
longs to  the  brass-band  order  of  oratory.  The  treaty  can  be 
abrogated  by  either  party  on  six  months'  notice;  it  is  no  part  of 
the  obligations  of  the  people  of  Chicago  to  provide  means  offen- 
sive or  defensive  against  Great  Britain,  that  is  for  the  General 
Government. 

But,  supposing  that  all  the  foregoing  attractions  of  a  ship 
canal  could  be  realized,  the  fact  remains,  that  drainage  was  what 


96  OUTLOOK  FOR  THE  FUTURE. 

the  people  wanted.  Remove  the  necessity  for  drainage,  and  the 
brilliant  advantages  of  a  water-way  to  the  Mississippi  would  have 
been  utterly  disregarded,  and  the  project  overwhelmed  with 
defeat;  outside  of  a  few  vaporing  enthusiasts,  and  those  who 
are  indifferent  to  the  burdens  of  taxation  because  they  pay  no 
taxes,  or  who  see  in  public  expenditures  only  opportunities  to 
secure  high  salaries  or  political  influence,  the  measure  would 
have  had  few  advocates  and  a  trifling  vote.  People  voted  for 
the  Drainage  Act  because  they  wanted  drainage,  and  were  told  by 
those  in  whom  they  reposed  confidence  that  this  was  the  only 
way  it  could  be  obtained.  No  attempt  was  made  to  present  the 
enormous,  if  not  insurmountable,  difficulties  involved  in  carrying 
out  the  scheme,  nor  the  great  expenditure  necessary  to  overcome 
them;  nor  was  any  honest  and  intelligent  attempt  made  to  devise 
the  most  practicable  means  of  disposing  of  the  drainage  question. 

THE  FUTURE. 

Turning  from  the  disagreeable  and  thankless  task  of  criticism 
of  the  Drainage  Act,  which  was  rendered  necessary  by  the  fact 
of  its  existence  upon  our  statute  books,  it  is  with  a  sense  of  relief 
that  attention  is  turned  to  a  theory  of  construction,  and  to  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  drainage  question  of  Chicago  on  practical  lines. 
An  effort  has  been  made  to  show  that  the  Drainage  Act  is  based 
upon  absurd  ideas,  and  that  its  execution  will  be  attended  with 
an  extravagant  expenditure  in  the  present,  and  entail  upon  the 
city  of  Chicago  continuing  liabilities  to  an  enormous  amount  for 
all  future  time. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  the  confiscation  of  private  rights 
under  the  forms  of  taxation,  and  the  undertaking  of  extravagant 
and  chimerical  public  works  is  one  method  of  such  confiscation; 
no  majority,  however  great,  can  be  a  justification  for  the  taking 
of  a  man's  money  or  property,  and  wasting  it  in  foolish  enter- 
prises. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  present  Drainage  Board  will  expend 
very  considerable  sums  of  money,  and  impose  upon  the  city  of 
Chicago  serious  liabilities,  before  a  period  can  be  put  to  their 
reckless  transactions  ;  still,  relief  can  be  obtained  at  the  session 
of  the  Legislature  in  1893,  and  it  is  believed  that  a  sober  investi- 
gation of  the  drainage  question  will  demonstrate  the  necessity 
of  the  abolition  of  the  Drainage  Board,  and  a  reconstruction  of 


ANOTHER    PRELIMINARY    REPORT.  97 

the  methods  of  relief,  upon  more  prudent  lines,  even  at  the  sac- 
rifice of  all  the  money  expended,  and  a  settlement  of  all  the 
liabilities  created  by  it.  It  is  proposed  then:  First,  to  eliminate 
from  the  question  all  immaterial  matters  and  settle  upon  the 
real  difficulty;  and,  second,  to  discuss  the  methods  of  the  purifi- 
cation of  sewage — first,  by  irrigation  ;  second,  by  percipita- 
tion;  third,  the  self-purification  of  flowing  water;  fourth,  attempt 
to  solve  the  drainage  question  by  the  use  of  one  or  other,  or 
a  combination  of  systems,  in  a  manner  which  will  avoid  con- 
tamination of  the  water  supply  of  Chicago,  and  do  away  with 
grounds  for  complaint  down  the  river. 

FIRST,    THE    ELIMINATION    OF    THE    QUESTION. 

In  a  vague  sort  of  a  way,  the  question  of  public  health  is 
mixed  up  with  the  sewage  question,  without  distinctly  indicating 
how  it  is  affected  by  the  presence  of  sewage  in  neighboring 
waters.  For  instance,  there  is  published  by  the  Illinois  State 
Board  of  Health  a  pamphlet  of  something  over  100  pages  with 
the  ponderous  title,  "Preliminary  Report  of  the  Illinois  State 
"  Board  of  Health,  Water  Supplies  of  Illinois,  and  the  Pollution 
"of  its  Streams,  by  John  H.  Rauch,  M.  D.,  Secretary,  with  Two 
"Appendices:  I.  Chemical  Investigations  of  the  Water  Supplies 
"of  Illinois. — By  Prof.  J.  H.  Long.  II.  The  Illinois  River  Basin 
"  in  its  Relation  to  Sanitary  Engineering. — By  L.  E.  Cooley,  C.  E." 

In  a  general  way  it  may  be  stated,  that  about  half  of  this 
publication  is  taken  up  with  the  report  by  Prof.  Long  of  the 
analyses  of  over  750  samples  of  water  taken  from  the  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal  and  from  various  rivers,  creeks,  ponds, 
wells,  and  springs  in  Illinois,  made  by  the  direction  of  the  State 
Board  of  Health;  the  remainder  of  the  pamphlet  consists  of  the 
several  lucubrations  of  Dr.  Rauch  and  L.  E.  Cooley,  and  seems 
to  be  in  the  main  (so  far  as  it  has  any  intelligible  point)  an 
attempt  to  prove  that  the  doctor  was  right  in  a  controversy  with 
some  other  doctor,  about  the  self-purifying  qualities  of  water, 
and  that  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois would  be  vastly  improved  by  a  great  water-way  from  Lake 
Michigan  to  the  Mississippi  River. 

This  preliminary  report  was  a  final  one;  it  never  had  a  sequel; 
outside  of  its  contribution  to  the  general  stock  of  knowledge  on 
the  self-purifying  qualities  of  water,  a  topic  not  however  ger- 
mane to  the  question  of  the  health  of  the  people  of  the  State  of 
7 


98  ANALYSIS   OF    POLLUTED    WATER,    USELESS. 

Illinois,  it  has  no  practical  bearing  on  questions  properly  within 
the  scope  of  the  board.  The  forty-eight  printed  pages  of  analyses 
of  the  contents  of  750  two-gallon  jugs  of  water,  made  by  Prof. 
Long  "under  the  direction  of  the  Illinois  State  Board  of 
"Health,"  have  no  apparent  value,  except  as  above  noted. 

On  the  iyth  September,  1890,  Mr.  Cooley  announced  to  the 
Board  of  Trustees  that  he  proposed  to  spend  five  or  six  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  analysis  of  the  water  of  the  South  Branch; 
no  useful  purpose  could  be  subserved  by  such  a  proceeding; 
everybody  knows  the  water  is  vile — nobody  proposes  to  use  it 
for  domestic  purposes.  His  project  was  simply  on  a  par  with 
his  water  gauges,  reconnaissances  of  water  sheds,  speculations 
upon  population,  and  kindred  maunderings,  and  the  analyses  of 
Prof.  Long  for  the  State  Board  of  Health  have  no  more 
practical  value. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  London  water  supply  is  drawn 
from  the  River  Thames.  The  sewage  of  the  city  discharges  into 
that  river,  the  flux  and  reflux  of  the  tide  extends  to  Teddington 
lock,  about  twenty  miles  above  London,  carrying  backward  and 
forward  the  sewage  discharge  of  the  city;  hence  the  necessity  of 
taking  water  above  flood  tide,  and  the  water  supply  is  taken  at 
Hampton. 

The  Thames  above  Hampton  drains  3,676  square  miles  of 
territory,  with  a  population  of  900,000,  and  though  only  portions 
of  this  area  and  of  these  inhabitants  contributed  to  the  con- 
tamination of  the  river,  there  was  still  enough  to  demand  serious 
attention.  The  matter  of  the  water  supply  of  London  was  of 
the  utmost  importance,  and  in  1866  a  royal  commission  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  Sir  John 
Thwaites,  Chairman  of  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Works; 
Colonel  Harness,  Chairman  Board  of  the  Royal  Engineers;  Sir 
Benjamin  Philips,  alderman  of  the  city  of  London;  Mr.  T.  E. 
Harrison,  vice-president  of  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers, 
and  Mr.  Prestwich,  an  eminent  geologist,  to  consider  the  subject. 
They  devoted  2^  years  to  the  investigation.  The  most  eminent 
chemists  and  medical  men  of  London,  among  whom  were  Dr. 
Lyon  Playfair,  Mr.  Simon,  Dr.  Farr,  Dr.  Parkes,  Dr.  Letheby, 
Prof.  Wanklyn,  Dr.  Frankland,  Dr.  Odling,  Sir  Benjamin 
Brodie,  Dr.  Miller,  and  Dr.  Angus  Smith,  testified  before  them. 
They  made  their  report  in  1869,  and  upon  the  question  of  the 


ENGLISH    SCIENTISTS   ON    CHEMICAL    ANALYSIS.  99 

value  of  chemical  analysis  of  water  for  drinking  purposes,  the 
commission  say: 

"The  question  now  naturally  arises,  Can  we  not  by  careful 
"  analysis  of  the  Thames  water  discover  what  quantity  of  organic 
"matters  it  contains;  what  is  the  nature  and  character  of  such 
"  matters,  and  how  far  they  are  deleterious  or  otherwise?  We 
"  have  endeavored  to  arrive  at  a  solution  of  this  question,  but 
"  unfortunately  without  much  success.  The  inquiry  seems  beset 
"  with  difficulty;  the  organic  matter  is  present  in  only  very  small 
"  quantities,  and  in  shapes  and  conditions  which  are  very  difficult 
"  to  identify  and  to  reduce  to  actual  measure.  The  treatment 
"  of  them  is  still  a  problem  in  chemical  science,  only  now  begin- 
ning to  be  effectually  studied,  and  the  most  eminent  chemists 
"  are  yet  by  no  means  agreed  either  as  to  the  process  most 
"  proper  to  be  followed  in  the  analysis,  or  as  to  the  value  and 
"  bearing  of  the  results  obtained. 

"  It  does  not  follow  that  all  organic  matter  in  water  is  prej- 
"  udicial  *  *  *  almost  all  our  drinks  other  than  water  owe  their 
"distinctive  qualities  to  the  varieties  of  their  organic  contents, 
"  and  hence  it  is  clear  that  the  presence  of  organic  matter,  per  se, 
"  is  not  necessarily  prejudicial." 

Dr.  Frankland,  the  chemist  of  the  Registrar  General  of  Lon- 
don, and  one  of  the  most  earnest  sticklers  for  purity,  said: 

"  It  can  not  be  too  widely  known  that  chemical  analysis  is 
"  utterly  powerless  to  detect  any  matter  positively  injurious  to 
"  health  in  any  of  the  forms  of  animal  refuse  which  go  to  con- 
"  laminate  water. 

"  It  is  for  the  physiologist,  not  the  chemist,  to  say  what  in-- 
"  fluence  the  admission  of  excrementitious  matters  into  drinking 
"  water  has  upon  the  health  of  the  community.  If  his  verdict 
"  is  that  they  have  none,  then  water  analysis  for  sanitary  purposes 
"  becomes  useless." 

Be  it  understood  that  this  inquiry  was  as  to  water  for 
domestic  use,  by  the  people  of  London,  and  the  report  demon- 
strates the  absurdity  of  the  chemical  investigations  proposed  by 
Mr.  Cooley,  and  those  actually  made  by  the  State  Board  of 
Health. 

The  entire  scope  of  these  professedly  scientific  investigations 
by  Mr.  Cooley  and  the  State  Board  of  Health  was,  like  the  foggy 
developments  of  the  engineering  question,  simply  an  attempt 
to  mystify  common  people  as  to  the  nature  of  the  work.  It  was 


CHICAGO 

HISTORICAL 

SOCIETY 


100  EFFECT    OF    POLLUTED    WATER    ON    HEALTH. 

done  to  create  the  impression  that  there  was  something  wonder- 
fully profound  in  the  matter  of  digging  a  ditch  to  carry  off  foul 
water. 

Now  the  plain  proposition  is  insisted  upon,  that  the  presence 
of  sewage  in  any  body  of  water  having  a  current,  or  subject  to 
agitation,  has  no  effect  upon  the  general  health,  unless  such 
water  is  used  for  domestic  purposes.  The  general  range  of  dis- 
cussion in  Europe,  and  probably  outside  of  the  ranks  of  water- 
way cranks,  in  this  country,  has  been  confined  to  the  question  as 
to  the  use  for  domestic  purposes  of  water  which  has  been  pol- 
luted by  sewage. 

There  is  no  city  in  the  State  of  Illinois  where  the  water  supply 
is  affected  by  sewage  except  Chicago,  and  the  paternal  guardian- 
ship of  the  State  Board  of  Health  is  by  no  means  essential  to 
the  welfare  of  that  city.  It  is  perhaps  unjust  to  the  State  Board 
of  Health  to  suggest  that  its  interference  in  the  matter  extended 
beyond  the  action  of  its  secretary,  Doctor  Rauch,  who  seems  to 
have  been  a  co-laborer  with  Mr.  Cooley  in  his  ship-canal 
vagaries.  He  rushed  his  report  into  print  in  April,  1889,  at  the 
time  when  the  Drainage  Act  was  pending  in  the  Legislature;  he 
states  that  the  report  was  put  through  the  Press  without  taking 
time  to  correct  typographical  errors.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive, 
from  the  contents  of  the  report,  what  reason  there  was  for  such 
hot  haste,  unless  it  was  to  aid  in  the  passage  of  that  act.  He 
has  since,  like  the  Captain  of  the  Pinafore  (involuntarily  how- 
ever), been  permitted  to  "seek  seclusion." 

Upon  the  question  as  to  the  effect  of  sewage  discharge  upon 
general  health,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the  entire  sewage  of  the 
city  of  London  empties  into  the  Thames,  and  is  washed  back 
and  forth  as  the  tide  ebbs  and  flows,  and  in  that  connection  the 
following  extract  is  made  from  Santo  Crimp  on  "  Sewage  Dis- 
posal Works,"  page  25:  "  One  of  the  conclusions  and  recom- 
"  mendations  of  the  Royal  Commissioners  on  Metropolitan 
"(London)  Sewage  Discharge,  1884,  is  as  follows:  That  it  does 
"not  appear  that  hitherto,  the  sewage  discharge  has  had  any 
"seriously  prejudicial  effect  on  the  general  healthiness  of  the 
"neighboring  districts.  But  that  there  is  evidence  of  certain 
"  evil  effects' of  a  minor  kind  on  the  health  of  persons  employed 
"  upon  the  river  (Thames),  and  that  there  may  be  reasonable 
"  anxiety  on  the  subject  for  the  future." 

The  above  may  be  taken  as  completely  disposing  of  any  pre- 


THE    INTERESTS    OF    RIVER    VALLEY    PEOPLE.  101 

tense  that  the  health  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  out- 
side of  Chicago,  is  in  any  way  affected  by  its  sewage.  As  to 
the  health  of  the  people  of  Chicago,  there  is  no  evidence  that 
people  living  near  the  river,  or  working  upon  it,  are  unfavorably 
affected  in  health  by  the  presence  of  sewage  in  the  river.  The 
Chicago  sewage  question  resolves  itself  into:  First,  the  contami- 
nation of  the  water  supply  of  Chicago;  and  second,  the  unpleas- 
antness of  odors  arising  from  it. 

It  is  true  that  the  Legislature  of  Illinois,  in  a  "  Whereas," 
once  declared  that  millions  of  fish  were  poisoned  in  the  Illinois 
River  by  the  sewage  of  Chicago.  This  is  palpably  ridiculous. 
Since  that  time,  four  dams  have  been  erected  in  the  river,  but 
there  are  other  considerations  which  make  it  unnecessary  to 
occupy  time  with  the  fish  question.  The  matter  of  the  water 
supply  has  already  been  alluded  to  and  will  be  discussed  further 
on.  The  question  of  noxious  odors,  then,  is  the  only  one  affect- 
ing people  down  the  river,  and  in  this  connection  it  is  amusing 
to  observe  that  notwithstanding  the  ravings  of  the  people  of 
Joliet  about  the  bad  smells  which  they  occasionally  inhale  from 
the  river  as  it  pours  over  the  dam,  the  highest  priced  property 
in  Joliet  is  very  near  the  dam. 

There  is  no  doubt,  however,  but  that  the  odors  from  the  river 
are  at  times  very  offensive,  and  it  is  conceded  that  the  people 
there  were  justified  in  making  complaint;  but  so  far  as  they  are 
concerned,  the  question  must  be  strictly  limited  to  that  evil.  It 
is  no  concern  of  the  people  down  the  river  what  the  people  of 
Chicago  drink,  nor  where  they  get  it.  Their  only  concern  is, 
that  the  nuisance  of  foul  odors  shall  be  abated.  They  have  no 
right  to  direct  as  to  how  it  shall  be  done,  and  least  of  all  have 
they  any  right  to  demand  that  thirty  to  forty  millions  of  dollars 
shall  be  expended  by  the  city  of  Chicago  to  create  a  tail-race, 
a  water-power,  or  a  huge  canal,  if  the  end  can  be  accomplished 
some  other  way  at  less  than  one-fifth  the  expense,  and  this  leads 
to  the  question  of  the  disposition  which  may  be  made  of  sewage. 


THE  DISPOSITION  OF  SEWAGE. 


It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  any  extended  discussion  of  the 
question  of  sewage  disposal  will  be  entered  upon  in  this  place, 
but  as  it  is  a  matter  which  has  received  great  attention  in  Europe, 
and  very  little  in  this  country,  and  as  one  of  the  methods  in  gen- 
eral use  in  Europe  seems  most  available  for  the  people  of 
Chicago,  some  general  ideas  may  properly  be  given  upon  the 
subject. 

Either  separately,  or  in  some  form  of  combination,  there  are 
two  methods  of  disposing  of  sewage,  other  than  that  of  turning 
it  into  an  adjoining  stream  or  large  body  of  water,  viz.,  that  of 
land  irrigation  and  that  of  precipitation. 


FIRST,  BY   IRRIGATION. 

The  method  by  irrigation  consists  in  turning  the  sewage 
loose  upon  a  tract  of  land,  where  by  systems  of  surface  drains  it 
is  spread  over  the  surface,  and  by  underdrainage  the  water,  after 
being  leached,  is  carried  off.  This  method  is  in  use  in  various 
places  in  Europe,  some  of  which,  with  the  population  in  1884, 
and  number  of  acres  used  at  that  time,  are  given  in  the  following 
table,  which  is  made  up  from  the  report  of  Mr.  Allen  already 
referred  to: 


Places. 

Population. 

Number  of  Acres. 

Croyden,  Eng  
Doncaster,  Eng... 
Wigan,  Eng.  

6o,OOO 
30,000 
?o,ooo 

540 

3°5 
260 

Paris       

2,000,000 

1,482  for  ^  of  the  sewage 

Berlin   . 

Sewage  of  900,000 

7,500  in  use  in  1884 

Dantzig  

100,000 

395  in  use  in  1884 

In  Berlin  the  sewage  is  pumped  to  a  height  of  sixty-five  feet, 
and    in    Dantzig   twenty-three   feet,  for    delivery   on   the  land. 

(102) 


EFFECT    OF    COLD    WEATHER    AT    PULLMAN.  103 

These  lands  are  farmed,  and  something  is  realized  in  rents,  but 
the  details  are  immaterial,  as  the  system  is  impracticable  in 
Chicago — for  three  reasons:  First,  no  land  is  available;  second, 
the  quantity  of  sewage  is  three  or  four  times  as  great  per  capita 
here,  and  third,  our  winters  are  often  too  cold.  Mr.  Allen 
visited  the  works  at  Pullman,  and  says  of  those  works,  of  which, 
by  the  way,  Mr.  Benzette  Williams  was  chief  engineer: 

"  The  sewage  farm  at  Pullman  has  frequently  been  cited  as 
"  being  a  place  where  successful  purification  of  sewage  (by  land 
"treatment)  is  accomplished  in  the  winter,  in  a  climate  similar  to 
"  that  of  New  England.  In  order  to  fully  satisfy  myself  as  to  the 
"  fact,  I  visited  Pullman  in  January  of  the  present  year,  accom- 
panied by  Gen.  R.  H.  Chamberlain,  superintendent  of  sewers  of 
"this  city,  and  this  is  what  we  found:  The  farm  has  an  area 
"  of  about  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  nearly  all  of  which  is 
"  devoted  to  irrigation;  there  are  ten  acres  however  set  apart  for  a 
"  filtration  area,  this  being  thoroughly  underdrained,  the  drains 
"  being  about  twelve  feet  apart.  Upon  the  day  of  our  visit  it 
"was  quite  warm;  the  thermometer  registered  40°  Fahr.  We 
"  found  that  the  sewage  was  all  being  discharged  upon  the  filtra- 
"tion  area,  the  first  section  of  which  was  covered  with  sludge  to 
"  a  depth  of  about  a  foot.  The  sewage  was  running  over  this, 
"  to  the  second  section,  which  was  partially  covered  with  ice,  and 
"then  over  the  remaining  area,  which  was  entirely  covered  with 
"ice,  and  was  finally  discharged  into  the  effluent  trench,  without 
"having  been  filtered  in  the  least. 

"  The  entire  area  was  completely  covered  with  sewage,  and 
"there  was  evidently  no  filtration  taking  place,  as  about  the  same 
"  quantity  passed  off  at  the  lower  end  of  the  beds  as  was  dis- 
"  charged  upon  the  upper  end." 

Mr.  Allen  considered  the  subject  carefully,  and  concluded 
that  the  winters  of  New  England,  though  not  so  cold  as  at  Pull- 
man, were  too  cold  for  the  method  by  irrigation. 

SECOND,     BY    PRECIPITATION. 

In  the  method  by  precipitation,  the  sewage  flows  into  im- 
mense tanks  built  of  masonry,  after  being  mixed  with  milk  of 
lime  (that  is,  slaked  lime  dissolved  in  water  until  it  has  the  consist- 
ency of  milk),  or  other  cheap  chemical,  causing  the  solids  to 
settle,  and  the  water  flows  off  very  well  cleared.  There  are  two 


104 


PRECIPITATION    OF    SEWAGE    IN    ENGLAND. 


methods  in  use;  one,  to  let  the  contents  of  the  tanks  stand  a 
short  time  for  settling,  and  the  other  what  is  called  the  continuous 
process,  where  the  sewage  keeps  up  a,  very  slow  movement.  In 
the  city  of  Worcester,  after  having  tried  the  still-water  method, 
they  are  using  the  continuous  process  with  satisfactory  results. 

The  deposit,  or  sludge,  has  some  value  as  a  fertilizer  in 
some  localities.  Under  date  of  January  20,  1892,  the  city  engi- 
neer of  Worcester  writes:  "We  have  about  concluded  to  burn 
"  the  sludge,  in  fact  have  already  begun  to  do  so  in  a  limited 
"  way,  and  have  found  it  perfectly  feasible.  I  believe  this  is  the 
"  most  desirable  thing  to  do." 

Under  date  of  June  18,  1892,  he  writes:  "We  have  disposed 
"  of  all  the  sludge  that  we  had  on  hand  this  spring  to  the  farmers 
"  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  who  have  taken  it  and  used  it  as  a 
"  fertilizer.  We  are  in  hopes  it  will  prove  of  sufficient  value,  so 
"  they  will  wish  to  continue  it.  We  have  therefore  discontinued 
"  burning." 

Whether  the  immense  amount  of  filth  which,  according  to 
Mr.  Williams,  is  to  be  found  in  Chicago  sewage  would  render 
the  sludge  more  valuable,  is  a  matter  of  detail  not  essential  to 
the  present  discussion. 

The  system  of  sewage  disposal  by  precipitation  is  in  use  quite 
extensively  in  England.  Three  of  the  largest  places  where  it  is 
in  operation,  with  their  population  in  1883,  number  of  gallons 
of  sewage  treated  daily,  original  cost  of  works,  and  annual  cost 
of  maintenance,  are  given  below  from  Mr.  Allen's  report: 


PLACE. 

Population. 

Gallons   of 
Sewage  Daily. 

Cost  of 
Works. 

Expenses. 
Yearly. 

Bradford  

200,000 

8,000,000 

$300,000 

$20,000 

Leeds  

IA-Z.OOO 

10,000,000 

•?oo,ooo 

21.000 

Birmingham 

420.000 

I  3.  OOO  OOO 

4.  10  ooo 

66  ooo 

At  the  Leeds  works  the  sewage  has  to  be  pumped  eighteen 
feet  to  reach  the  tanks. 

The  quantity  of  lime  used  varies  somewhat,  but  no  estimate 
places  it  at  more  than  one  ton  for  each  million  gallons  of  sewage. 
The  cost  of  precipitation  in  England  is  estimated  as  being  about 
25  cents  per  capita  per  annum.  The  tank  capacity  should  be 
about  equal  to  one-half  the  quantity  of  daily  sewage. 

In  the  Birmingham  works,  there  are  three  large  tanks  330  x 
90  feet,  and  sixteen  smaller,  150x50  feet.  Leeds  works  have 


REPORT    OF    MR.    ALLEN.  105 

twelve  tanks,  100x60  feet.  The  Bradford  works  were  originally 
constructed  for  another  process,  but  they  now  use  milk  of  lime; 
there  are  thirty-four  tanks,  30x22  feet,  and  thirty-four,  22x14 
feet,  besides  a  reservoir,  and  some  sludge  tanks. 

The  tanks  are  generally  filled  to  a  depth  of  six  feet.  As  will 
be  seen  by  the  above  table,  the  daily  sewage  per  capita  of  the 
three  English  cities  mentioned  is — for  Bradford,  about  forty  gal- 
lons; Leeds,  about  thirty,  and  Birmingham  the  same.  The 
sewage  per  capita  daily  in  Chicago  is  estimated  at  120  gallons. 
This  variance,  however,  does  not  affect  the  principle,  it  is  only 
in  its  application — more  tank  capacity  per  capita  being  necessary. 

As  regards  the  results  of  the  process  Mr.  Allen  says: 

Of  Bradford. — "The  effluent  was  very  clear  but  was  of  a 
'•  light  amber  color,  entirely  free  from  odor.  The  color  being 
"  due,  as  was  claimed  by  the  superintendent,  to  the  presence  in 
"the  sewage  of  large  quantities  of  refuse  from  manufactories." 

Of  Leeds. — "  The  effluent  as  observed  by  me  was  very  clear 
"  and  without  color,  although  I  was  told  that  at  times  it  was 
"  somewhat  discolored,  owing  to  the  large  quantities  of  dye 
"  stuff  and  refuse  from  manufactories." 

The  effluent  from  the  Birmingham  works  was  taken  to  a 
sewage  farm  below,  of  several  hundred  acres,  where  it  was  used 
for  purposes  of  irrigation.  The  tanks  are  cleaned  every  three  to 
six  days  in  the  still-water  process. 

The  entire  report  of  Mr.  Allen,  from  which  the  foregoing 
extracts  are  taken,  is  extremely  interesting,  and,  as  showing  how 
business  is  done  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  it  may  be  stated  that  the 
city  of  Worcester,  situated  on  the  Blackstone  River,  with  a 
population,  in  1883,  of  about  70,000,  had  a  large  number  of  fac- 
tories, the  refuse  from  which,  with  the  city  sewage,  emptied  into 
the  Blackstone  River.  Great  quantities  of  chemicals  entered 
into  the  sewage,  and  people  below  were  greatly  annoyed  by  it. 
Litigation  ensued,  the  State  Legislature  took  the  matter  up,  and 
in  1883  the  City  Council  appropriated  $700  to  defray  Mr. 
Allen's  expenses  to  Europe  to  investigate  the  question  of  sewage 
disposal.  He  visited  England,  France,  and  Germany,  and  made 
a  careful  examination  of  the  different  methods  in  use  for  the 
treatment  and  purification  of  sewage  at  the  places  above  men- 
tioned, and  others,  and  visited  the  sewage  farm  at  Pullman  as 
above  stated. 


106  PRECIPITATION    WORKS    AT    WORCESTER. 

Mr.  Allen  reported  the  result  of  his  investigation,  and  gave 
a  clear  and  concise  statement  of  the  different  methods  of  sewage 
disposal  in  Europe,  cost  of  plants,  and  the  results  obtained. 

Had  Mr.  Allen  filled  his  report  with  far-away  gibberish  about 
hydrographic  surveys,  analyses  of  foreign  sewage,  reconnaissances 
of  water  sheds,  disquisitions  upon  detritus,  speculations  upon 
population,  asked  for  $2,000  or  $3,000  to  pay  for  an  analysis  of 
the  waters  of  Blackstone  River  and  Milbrook  Creek,  and  called 
it  a  "preliminary  report,"  it  would  have  been  a  fair  sample  of 
documents  familiar  to  readers  of  water-way  literature  in  Chicago. 

His  report  was  a  practical,  sensible  document,  in  which  he 
recommended  the  erection  of  works  for  the  purification  of  the 
sewage  of  Worcester  by  precipitation,  and  gave  an  estimate  of 
the  cost,  which  was  not  exceeded. 

The  outcome  of  all  which  was,  such  works  were  erected  at  an 
expense  of  about  fifty-six  thousand  dollars,  and  have  been  in 
successful  operation  since  some  time  in  1890.  The  works  cover 
ten  acres  of  ground.  There  are  six  tanks,  each  100  feet  long, 
66f  feet  wide,  and  7  feet  deep. 

In  his  report  for  the  year  ending   November,  1890,  he  says: 

"As  a  practical  illustration  of  what  is  accomplished,  samples 
"of  the  sewage,  and  of  the  effluent  taken  at  the  same  time,  have 
"been  saved.  Sewage  five  months  old  is  the  color  of  ink,  and 
"the  odor  from  it  is  so  foul  that  it  is  sickening,  while  the  effluent 
"of  the  same  age  is  clear,  colorless,  and  entirely  without  odor. 
"I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that  no  decomposition  takes  place  in 
"the  effluent,  and  that,  so  far  as  the  Blackstone  River  is  con- 
"cerned,  it  is  as  unobjectionable  as  spring  water  could  be.  I  do 
"not  claim  that  drinking  water  is  manufactured  at  the  disposal 
"works.  What  I  believe  is,  that  the  method  of  treatment  is 
"such,  that  when  the  whole  sewage  of  the  city  is  dealt  with  at 
"the  works,  the  Blackstone  River  will  be  entirely  relieved  of  any 
"further  pollution  from  the  city  of  Worcester. 

"  As  to  the  cost  of  treatment,  I  think  it  will  be  more  satisfac- 
"  tory  to  wait  until  after  the  works  have  been  run  another  year 
"before  going  into  details.  It  is  constantly  being  reduced,  and 
"at  the  present  time  it  is  well  within  the  estimate  made  by  me 
"several  years  ago,  namely,  $22,500  per  year." 

Upon  the  opposite  page  is  a  copy  of  a  photograph  of  the 
works  at  Worcester,  Mass. 


CONSTRUCTION    OF    PRECIPITATING    WORKS.  107 

In  private  letters  he  writes  as  follows: 

"January  20,  1892. — I  am  satisfied  that  with  3,000,000  gallons 
"of  sewage  per  day,  the  size  of  the  tanks  at  Worcester  are  just 
"right,  as  we  have  obtained  most  excellent  results,  and  I  can  see 
"no  reason  why  this  same  ratio  would  not  hold  good  for  5,000,- 
"ooo  cubic  feet  of  sewage.  But  for  eight  months  past  we  have 
"  run  the  sewage  through  all  the  tanks,  thus  treating  it  by  the 
"continuous  process,  and  have  been  able  to  get  good  results  in 
"treating  4,500,000  gallons  per  day,  and  fair  results  in  6,000,000 
"gallons  per  day.  This  method  is  much  less  expensive  than  the 
"intermittent  (or  still  water)  application,  owing  to  the  greater 
"ease  with  which  the  sewage  is  handled. 

"  We  ran  our  works  all  last  winter  without  trouble  from  frost, 
"although  we  had  days  when  the  mercury  was  below  zero." 

"June  n,  1892. — We  are  just  at  the  point  where  we  propose 
"to  enlarge  our  works,  and.  while  the  results  obtained  so  far, 
"have  been  beyond  our  expectations,  we  expect  to  produce  still 
"  further  and  better  results  after  the  works  are  enlarged.  The 
"estimated  population  for  1891  was  86,000;  the  sewage  costs  us 
"now  for  treatment  about  40  cents  per  capita  per  annum;  we 
"are  using  about  2^  tons  of  lime  to  four  million  gallons  of 
"sewage." 

"June  18,  1892. — In  case  this  large  amount  of  sewage 
"(10,000,000  cubic  feet  daily)  were  treated,  it  (that  is,  the  quan- 
tity of  land  necessary)  would  depend  entirely  upon  whether 
"  the  sludge  were  to  be  pressed  and  the  water  extracted  before 
"  its  disposal  upon  the  land,  or  whether  sludge  pits  were  to  be 
"prepared  into  which  the  sludge  would  be  pumped  and  allowed 
"to  dry  by  natural  means.  In  the  latter  case  the  amount  of 
"land  would  be  of  course  very  much  greater  than  in  the  former. 

"  We  propose  to  enlarge  our  works  so  that  we  will  treat  at 
"least  15,000,000  gallons  per  day,  and  in  order  to  handle  the 
"sludge  properly,  we  shall  have  to  acquire  more  land.  I  shall 
"recommend  the  purchase  of  at  least  thirty  acres  in  addition  to 
"  the  ten  acres  that  we  now  own.  I  think  that  10,000,000  cubic  feet 
"of  sewage  would  require,  in  order  to  work  economically  and  to 
"good  advantage,  something  like  300  acres;  but,  as  above  stated, 
"it  all  depends  upon  how  the  sludge  is  to  be  handled;  if  it  were 
"to  be  pressed,  it  is  possible  that  it  would  be  taken  away  by 
"  farmers  for  fertilizing  purposes.  In  that  case,  the  land  re- 


108  RESULTS    OF    PRECIPITATION. 

"quired  would  be  only  a  few  acres  more  than  is  necessary  for 
"the  precipitation  plant  itself." 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  stated  that  the  cost  in  England 
of  pressing  the  sludge  into  cakes  is  about  25  cents  per  ton,  and 
the  product  has  about  the  same  fertilizing  value  as  barn  manure. 

Upon  the  general  subject  of  the  disposal  of  sewage,  the 
following  extracts  are  taken  from  Santo  Crimp: 

"  One  of  the  '  conclusions  '  of  the  committee  appointed  by 
"the  Societies  of  Arts  in  1876  to  inquire  into  various  subjects 
"connected  with  the  health  of  towns  was  as  follows: 

"  With  regard  to  the  various  processes  based  upon  subsidence, 
"precipitation,  or  filtration,  it  is  evident  that  by  some  of  them  a 
"  sufficiently  purified  effluent  can  be  produced  for  discharge, 
"  without  injurious  result,  into  water-courses  and  rivers  of  suffi- 
"  cient  magnitude  for  its  considerable  dilution,  and  that  for 
"  many  towns  where  land  is  not  readily  obtained  at  a  moderate 
"  price,  these  particular  processes  afford  the  most  suitable 
"  means  of  disposing  of  the  water-carried  sewage." 

The  report  of  the  Royal  Commission  on  Metropolitan  Sewage 
Discharge,  1884,  contains  the  following  most  suggestive 
sentences: 

"  In  the  first  place,  no  one  denies  that  by  any  chemical  pre- 
"  cipitation,  the  suspended  matters  may  be  almost  entirely 
"removed;  or,  in  other  words,  the  sewage  may  be  practically 
"  clarified.  It  is  proved  that  with  well  devised,  not  too  deep, 
l<  and  abundant  tanks,  so  as  to  allow  of  complete  subsidence 
*'  (which  may  be  well  effected  in  a  few  hours),  a  clarified  sewage 
"  may  be  prepared  by  precipitation,  which  will  contain  less  than 
"  two  or  three  grains  of  suspended  solid  matters  per  gallon. 
"  And  as  it  is  also  admitted  that  the  suspended  matters  are  the 
"  worst  causes  of  pollution  and  nuisance,  it  follows  that  the  clari- 
"  fication  must  effect  a  great  improvement." 

The  following,  taken  from  Santo  Crimp,  is  a  more  detailed 
description  of  the  works  at  Bradford,  and  the  results: 

"  BRADFORD — PRECIPITATION. 

"POPULATION,  ETC.  The  town  of  Bradford  has  a  population 
"of  200,000  inhabitants  (1885);  the  whole  of  the  effluent  is  dis- 
"  charged  into  a  small  stream  called  the  Beck  of  Bradford,  a 
"  tributary  of  the  River  Aire. 


WORKS    AT    BRADFORD.  109 

"  VOLUME    OF    THE    SEWAGE. 

"The  daily  sewage  flow  is  about  8,450,000  gallons,  the  whole 
"  of  which  is  conveyed  to  the  sewage  purification  works,  which 
"the  engineer  for  the  works,  Mr.  Alsing,  calculates  to  be  capable 
"of  treating  a  daily  flow  of  12,000,000  gallons. 

•NATURE  OF  THE  SEWAGE.  In  addition  to  the  sewage  from 
"4,000  water-closets,  the  waste  from  a  large  number  of  manufac- 
"  tories  is  allowed  to  enter  the  sewers.  The  greater  part  of  this 
"waste  comes  from  dye  works,  wool-combing  works,  tanneries, 
"and  breweries.  The  manufacturers  are  not  compelled  to  purify 
"their  waste  waters  in  any  way,  which  therefore  contain,  on  being 
"discharged  into  the  sewer,  all  the  noxious  matters  which  are 
"  not  considered  worth  extracting. 

"In  consequence  of  the  chemicals  employed  by  the  manufact- 
"urers,  the  discharges  of  refuse  are  of  varying  kinds,  which 
"  make  the  sewage  all  the  more  difficult  to  treat.  Its  composition 
"varies  much  from  one  day  to  another,  and  also  at  different 
"hours  of  the  day;  it  is  very  foul  and  of  offensive  smell,  and 
"carries  in  suspension  a  large  amount  of  organic  and  silicious 
"  matters  and  a  pretty  large  proportion  of  salts  of  lime. 

"QUANTITY   OF  LIME  EMPLOYED  FOR  THE  PURIFICATION. 

"  The  quantity  of  lime  employed  for  the  purification  of  the  sew- 
"  age  varies  according  to  its  strength;  it  is  much  weaker  than 
''  usual  at  night  and  on  Sunday,  and  it  is  also  much  less  in  strength 
"during  wet  weather.  According  to  Mr.  Alsing,  the  proportion 
"recommended  at  Leeds  is  one  ton  per  1,000,000  gallons.  This 
"proportion  is  reduced  on  Sundays  to  10  cwt. ;  it  is  also  reduced 
"every  night  up  to  midnight,  after  which  lime  is  not  employed. 
"In  the  accounts  of  the  town  of  Bradford  for  the  year  1883,  the 
"cost  of  lime  for  the  year  is  stated  to  have  been  ^995  75.  lod. 
"(about  $4,818),  at  the  price  of  95.  rod.  (about  $2.38)  per  ton; 
"this  represents  a  total  of  1,990  tons  of  lime  used  during  the 
"year.  The  annual  volume  of  water  treated  is  about  8,450,000 
"  gallons  per  day.  The  average  proportion  of  lime  used  is,  there- 
"  fore,  a  trifle  less  than  13  cwt.  per  1,000,000  gallons. 

"Two  rows  of  tanks,  independent  of  one  another,  are  placed 
"along  the  whole  length  of  the  front  of  the  buildings  at  the 
"  works.  The  precipitating  tanks,  where  the  water  is  allowed  to 


110  WORKS    AT    BRADFORD. 

"rest  during  the  time  necessary  to  allow  the  suspended  matters 
"to  precipitate,  are  at  a  higher  level. 

"  Below  these  are  the  filtering  tanks  in  equal  numbers,  in 
"  which  the  effluent  water  from  the  tanks  flows  through  a  filter- 
"ing  medium,  and  there  deposits  the  lighter  matters,  which  are 
"  still  held  in  suspension.  The  sewage,  instead  of  flowing  through 
"all  the  tanks  in  succession,  with  a  continuous  movement  as  at 
"  Leeds,  flows  into  one  precipitating  tank,  and,  after  sufficient 
"  rest,  passes  from  there  into  the  adjacent  filtering  tank. 

•'The  precipitating  tanks  are  thirty-four  in  number,  twenty- 
"  eight  feet  in  length,  twenty-two  feet  in  width,  and  six  feet  in 
"depth.  Each  of  these  is  capable  of  holding  18,000  gallons,  and 
"is  filled  sixteen  times  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  The  duration 
"of  the  complete  operation,  comprising  the  filling  of  the  tanks, 
"the  precipitation  of  suspended  matters,  the  drawing  off  of  the 
"  clarified  water,  and  the  removal  of  the  sludge  is,  therefore,  i£ 
"hours  on  the  average.  At  this  rate  the  thirty  four  tanks 
';  are  capable  of  purifying  10,000,000  gallons  per  day.  In  order 
"to  reach  the  quantity  of  12,000,000  gallons  per  day,  which  Mr. 
"  Alsing  informed  us  was  the  maximum  quantity  that  the  tanks 
"are  capable  of  treating  per  day,  the  duration  of  the  complete 
'•operation  is  reduced  to  i£  hours.  The  filling  of  a  tank,  when 
"  the  sewage  is  flowing  at  the  rate  of  8,450,000  gallons  per 
"  day  (or  908  gallons  per  second),  occupies  about  three  minutes; 
"  the  sewage  is  allowed  to  rest  for  from  thirty  to  forty  minutes, 
"  the  remainder  of  the  time  suffices  for  drawing  off  the  effluent 
"  and  the  removal  of  the  sludge. 

"  After  the  precipitation  of  the  solids  produced  by  the  milk 
"of  lime,  the  clarified  water  is  drawn  off,  and  passes  through  the 
"filtering  tanks. 

"FILTERING  TANKS. 

"The  sewage,  in  great  part  clarified,  on  leaving  the  precipi- 
tating tanks  passes  into  an  equal  number  of  filtering  tanks, 
'•  which  are  placed  at  a  lower  level.  The  difference  in  the  two 
"levels  causes  a  fall,  in  which  the  water  is  agitated  and  mixed 
"  witli  the  atmospheric  air. 

"The  filtering  tanks  are  twenty-two  feet  in  length,  twelve 
"  feet  in  width,  and  three  feet  in  depth,  and  are  formed  of  coke 
"  breeze,  which  is  placed  on  the  bottom  to  a  depth  of  from  i£ 
"  to  i-j*g-  feet,  through  which  the  effluent  filters  downward. 


WORKS    AT    BRADFORD.  Ill 

"  The  filters  are  renewed  four  times  a  year,  while  the  coke 
"  breeze,  after  having  been  used  as  a  filtering  material,  is  exposed 
'•to  the  air  for  the  purpose  of  drying  and  oxidizing  it,  and 
"  is  then  employed,  mixed  with  coal,  as  fuel  for  the  boilers  at  the 
"  works,  in  the  proportion  of  two  parts  of  coke  breeze  to  one 
"part  of  coal. 

"  NATURE    OF    THE    EFFLUENT. 

"The  effluent  flowing  from  the  works  is  nearly  colorless  and 
'•  without  odor.  It  has  no  other  smell  than  that  which  is  given 
"  to  it  by  the  excess  of  lime  which  it  contains. 

"  DISPOSAL    OF    THE    SLUDGE. 

"Returning  to  the  tanks,  where  the  matters  in  solution  are 
"  precipitated  by  means  of  lime,  the  sludge  is  cleared  away,  by 
"  means  of  bottom  sluices,  into  an  aqueduct  which  carries  it  to 
44  tanks,  from  whence  it  is  raised  by  means  of  centrifugal  pumps 
"to  a  height  of  twenty-nine  feet;  it  then  flows  by  gravitation 
"  through  long  wooden  troughs  to  large  reservoirs  in  the  ground 
"  at  the  side  of  the  works;  here  it  remains  until,  by  means  of 
"  drainage  and  evaporation,  it  has  arrived  at  such  a  consistency 
"  as  will  allow  of  its  being  loaded  into  carts  and  taken  away.  It 
"  then  contains  about  50  per  cent,  of  water,  whereas,  on  leaving 
"  the  tanks,  it  contained  at  least  80  per  cent.  The  liquid  from 
"  the  reservoirs  is  drawn  off  by  means  of  carriers,  and  conveyed 
"back  to  the  precipitating  tanks. 

"  The  engineer,  Mr.  Alsing,  calculates  the  quantity  of  sludge 
"  annually  produced  at  6,000  tons.  The  town  of  Bradford  has 
"  concluded  an  agreement  with  a  contractor  who  receives  the 
"  sludge,  gratuitously.  He  then  carts  it  away  and  sells  it  to 
"  farmers. 

"GENERAL    ARRANGEMENT    OF  THE  WORKS. 

"  The  works  and  appendages  occupy  an  area  of  about  ten 
"acres,  which  is  appropriated  as  follows: 

Square  Yards. 

"  Building 2,674 

"Tanks  in  masonry 6,926 

"Sludge    reservoirs 9,658 

"Outhouses,  roads,  yards,  storehouses,  €^..29,232 

"  Total 48,490 


112  WATER    SELF-PURIFYING. 

"  The  building  consists  of  but  one  story,  and  is  divided  into 
"six  parts,  which  are  appropriated  as  follows: 

"  i.     Slacking  and  sifting  the  lime. 

"  2.     Making  the  milk  of  lime. 

"3.     Sludge  pumps. 

"4.     Engine-house. 

"  5.     Boiler-house. 

"  6.     Stores. 

"  There  is  no  disagreeable  odor  arising  from  the  work,  even 
"in  the  hot  season;  this  excellent  result  must,  in  great  part,  be 
"attributed  to  the  fact  that  the  precipitated  solids  are  not 
"  allowed  to  stop  in  the  tanks,  and  do  not  remain  in  contact  with 
"  the  effluent. 

"  The  works  are  situated  at  Manninghan,  one  of  the  most 
"beautiful  suburbs  of  Bradford,  and  do  not  appear  to  have 
"given  rise  to  any  complaints  from  persons  living  in  the 
"neighborhood." 

A  description  of  the  system  of  sewage  disposal  by  precipi- 
tation has  thus  been  given  at  considerable  length,  because  it  is 
believed  to  be  the  system  most  applicable  to  the  city  of  Chicago, 
and  one  which,  applied  to  the  most  noxious  portion  of  its  sewage, 
will  practically  dispose  of  the  sewage  question  altogether. 

THIRD,  THE   SELF-PURIFICATION   OF  WATER. 

Very  many  even  well-informed  people  have  an  idea  that  nox- 
ious matters  once  mixed  in  water  remain  there  until  they  sink  to 
the  bottom  or  are  removed  by  mechanical  means,  the  idea  being 
that  matter,  though  subdivided  or  dissolved  into  particles  so 
minute  as  to  become  imperceptible,  still  remains.  There  are,  too, 
many  well-informed  people  who  do  not  know  that  there  is  a  very 
.  considerable  mixture  of  atmospheric  air  in  water;  this  is  the  case, 
however.  The  quantity  varies,  but  in  some  rare  cases  it  is  said 
to  exist  to  the  extent  of  20  per  cent,  of  the  volume  of  water. 
Oxygen  is  one  of  the  constituent  elements  of  both  air  and  water, 
and  in.this  connection,  it  may  be  said  to  act  as  a  fire  or  consuming 
element  in  the  destruction  of  matter;  it  operates  to  consume 
physical  impurities.  To  what  extent  this  operation  proceeds 
depends  upon  the  relative  quantities  of  water,  and  of  the  air 
and  matter  mixed  with  it.  If  the  water  is  stagnant,  or  has  only 
a  sluggish  motion,  and  is  considerably  polluted,  this  operation  of 


REPORT    OF    LONDON    COMMISSION.  113 

burning  does  not  take  place  to  any  considerable  extent;  if,  on  the 
contrary,  the  water  is  not  greatly  polluted,  is  in  rapid  motion, 
rippling  over  stones  and  falling  over  obstructions,  it  becomes 
more  impregnated  with  air,  impurities  are  consumed,  and  it  be- 
comes clear.  This  is  one  of  the  causes  of  the  purity  and 
brilliancy  of  mountain  streams.  Every  one  has  noticed  the 
difference  in  the  appearance  of  water  in  a  sluggish  stream  as 
compared  with  that  in  one  flowing  swiftly. 

This  action  of  the  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere  is  well  under- 
stood and  admitted,  the  only  difference  of  opinion  being  as  to 
the  extent  and  vigor  of  the  purifying  process.  Upon  this  sub- 
ject citations  will  be  made  from  works  believed  to  be  of  the 
highest  authority. 

In  the  report  above  mentioned,  of  the  commissioners  upon  the 
water  supply  of  London  headed  by  the  Duke  of  Richmond, 
upon  the  contamination  of  the  Thames  above  Hampton,  by  its 
drainage  of  3,676  square  miles  of  area,  inhabited  by  900,000 
people,  there  is  the  following: 

"  Some  of  the  noxious  matter  is  removed  by  fish  and  other 
"animal  life,  and  a  further  quantity  is  absorbed  by  the  growth 
"of  aquatic  vegetation;  but  in  addition  to  these  abstractions, 
"  important  changes  are  effected  by  chemical  action.  The  or- 
"ganic  compounds  dissolved  in  the  water  appear  to  be  of  very 
"  instable  constitution,  and  to  be  very  easily  decomposed;  the 
"great  agent  in  this  decomposition  being  oxygen,  and  the  proc- 
"  ess  being  considerably  hastened  by  the  motion  of  the  water. 
"  Now  as  such  waters  always  contain  naturally  much  air  dissolved 
"in  them,  the  decomposing  agent  is  ready  at  hand  to  exert  its 
"influence  the  moment  the  matter  is  received  into  the  water;  in 
"addition  to  which,  the  motion  causes  a  further  action  by  the 
"exposure  to  the  atmosphere;  and  when  (as  in  the  Thames)  the 
"water  falls  frequently  over  weirs,  passes  through  locks,  etc., 
"causing  further  agitation  and  aeration,  the  process  must  go  on 
"more  speedily  and  more  effectually.  The  effect  of  the  oxygen 
"  on  these  organic  matters  when  complete,  is  to  break  them  up, 
"to  destroy  all  their  peculiar  organic  constitution,  and  to  re- 
" arrange  their  elements  into  permanent  inorganic  forms,  innocu- 
"ous  and  free  from  any  deleterious  quality." 

Baumeister  says,  "This  term,  (self-purification  of  rivers)  is 
"employed  to  denote  the  purification  which  many  rivers  undergo, 
"owing  to  the  combination  of  the  oxygen  in  the  water,  with  the 

8 


114      BAUMEISTER    ON    THE    SELF-PURIFICATION    OF    RIVERS. 


"organic  matter,  to  form  non-organic  substances.  The  neces- 
"sary  mingling  of  air  with  the  water,  increases  with  the  velocity 
"of  the  river.  All  devices  like  weirs  are  of  aid  in  purifying 
"  rivers.  The  oxidation  is  more  rapid  with  high,  than  with  low 
"temperatures,  but  the  liability  of  putrefaction  taking  place  is 
"also  greater.  The  oxidation  is  also  much  more  rapid  with  fresh 
"sewage  than  with  that  which  has  begun  to  putrefy. 

"Observations  on  the  self-purification  of  rivers  have  shown 
"very  divergent  results.  While  English  rivers  appear  to  be 
"almost  universally  lacking  in  this  power,  American  and  German 
"streams  in  many  cases,  especially  with  dissolved  matter,  have 
"shown  very  gratifying  characteristics,  even  as  regards  the  nature 
"of  the  micro-organisms.  The  Pegnitz,  for  example,  which 
"  receives  all  the  sewage  of  Nuremberg,  is  contaminated  for  a 
"short  distance  only.  In  Breslau,  while  the  entire  sewage  was 
"  discharged  into  the  Oder,  there  was  a  sudden  increase  in 
"ammonia,  organic  matter,  and  bacteria  just  below  the  outlet  of 
"the  trunk  sewer;  these  things  become  gradually  less  further 
"  down  the  river,  and  at  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  from  the  city 
"  the  water  was  as  pure,  chemically  and  microscopically,  as  before 
"  it  received  the  sewage. 

"Where  the  self-purification  is  to  be  assumed  as  quite  ener- 
"getic,  as  at  Neisse,  Munich,  and  Cologne,  the  residents  further 
"down  the  rivers  will  be  troubled  in  no  appreciable  degree." 

The  following  table  gives  so  far  as  obtainable,  the  population 
of  the  towns  above  mentioned,  the  names  of  the  rivers  into 
which  their  sewage  empties,  the  volume  of  water,  and  the 
velocity  of  the  current: 


Volume  of 

Name  of  City. 

Population. 

Name  of 
River. 

Water. 
Cubic  feet  per 

Velocity  of  Current 
per  hour. 

minute. 

Nuremberg 

110,000 

Pegnitz 

ip'oSo 

Breslau  ... 

300,000 

Oder 

42,360 

i£  miles  per  hov.r 

Munich  

260,000 

Iser 

85,400 

2^  miles  per  hour 

Neisse  

13,000 

Bielarm 

4,260 

2\  miles  per  hour 

Cologne  

j    about 
(   150,000 

Rhine 

Continuing,  Baumeister  says: 

"In  place  of  purification,  it  is  possible  to  use  dilution  as  a 
"  means  of  obviating  river  pollution.     Bremen  offers  an  example 


DR.    TIDY    ON    THE    SELF-PURIFICATION    OF    RIVERS.  115 

"of  a  city  employing  this  method;  here  the  sewage  from  one 
"  part  of  the  place,  the  Alstadt,  mingles  with  a  small  stream,  the 
"  Wumme,  and  is  then  emptied  into  the  Weser.  The  Wumme 
"becomes  very  foul,  being  only  a  small  stream,  and  it  is  now  cus- 
"  ternary  to  pump  water  from  the  Weser  into  the  city  moats 
"as  reservoirs,  whence  a  proper  volume  may  be  admitted  to  the 
"already  partly  diluted  effluent,  to  raise  the  final  ratio  of  water 
"and  sewage  to  5  to  i.  In  this  way  the  total  discharge  is 
"  increased  sufficiently  to  reduce  greatly  the  danger  of  deposits 
"and  odors,  and  the  foul  water  is  more  certainly  removed." 

Capt.  Douglas  Gallon  is  a  sanitary  engineer  of  high  standing 
in  England.  In  Van  Norstrand's  Engineering  Magazine,  1885, 
Volume  32,  is  an  article  from  his  peri  in  which  he  writes  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  Dr.  Tidy  recently  remarked  upon  certain  experiments,  '  I 
'•am  certain  that  given  a  dilution  of  one-seventh  sewage  and 
"  six-sevenths  fresh  water  fully  aerated  with  a  flow  of  two  miles 
"  per  hour,  not  a  trace  of  noxious  matter  would  be  found  at  a 
"  distance  of  five  miles.'  " 

As  before  stated,  Dr.  Tidy  is  a  man  of  undoubted  authority 
upon  sanitary  questions,  and  his  being  quoted  by  Capt.  Gallon, 
adds  additional  weighl  to  his  utlerance. 

In  Ihe  minules  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Instilule  of  Civil 
Engineers  (England)  for  1889-90,  Vol.  102,  p.  367,  appears  Ihe 
following:  "  Dr.  Dornblulh,  of  Roslock,  having  urged  lhat  Ihe 
"discharge  of  Ihe  sewage  of  Guslrow  (populalion  11,000)  into 
"  the  River  Nebel,  a  tribulary  of  Ihe  Warnow,  from  which  Ihe 
"water  supply  of  Rostock  is  derived,  would  so  pollute  the 
"slream  as  lo  render  it  unsuilable  as  a  source  of  domeslic 
"  water  supply,  arguments  based  on  the  self-purifying  powers 
"of  rivers  were  urged  to  prove  those  fears  groundless.  In  order 
"to  have  the  purifying  power  of  the  River  Nebel  tested,  Prof. 
"Uffelman  of  the  Rostock  Hygienic  Institute,  has  undertaken  a 
"series  of  analyses  of  the  river  above  and  below  the  town.  The 
"  water  is  being  examined  by  chemical,  microscopic  and  bacterio- 
"  logical  tests;  it  is  fifty  miles  from  Gustrow  to  Rostock;  the 
"  analyses  have  not  been  compleled,  bul  a  manifesi  improvement, 
"  due  to  the  self-purifying  powers  of  the  river  is  perceptible." 

The  analyses  of  the  undoubtedly  vile  waters  of  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  Canal  at  Bridgeporl,  Lockporl  and  Joliet,  are  to  the 
same  effect.  The  current  from  Bridgeport  lo  Lockporl  does  nol 


116        DR.    RAUCH    ON    THE    SELF-PURIFICATION    OF    RIVERS. 

exceed  one  mile  per  hour.  Dr.  Rauch  says  :  "  In  other  words, 
"over  one-half  of  the  sewage  pollution  disappears  before  reach- 
"  ing  Lockport,  twenty-nine  miles  below  Bridgeport,  and  nearly 
"one-third  of  the  remainder  is  lost  in  the  next  four  miles;  the 
"  increased  rate  of  purification  in  this  distance  being  due  to  the 
"  mechanical  agitation  of  the  water  by  falls,  wheels,  lockage,  etc., 
"  and  the  greater  extent  of  surface  exposed  to  aeration  by  the 
"  union  of  the  canal  and  the  Des  Plaines  River. 

"It  is  stated  that  an  average  of  about  45,000  cubic  feet  per 
"  minute,  was  being  pumped  from  the  river  into  the  canal  during 
"this  period.  Whatever  the  quantity,  it  is  obvious  that  if  the 
"volume  of  dilution  had  been  increased  by  20  per  cent.,  the  con- 
"  tents  of  the  canal  would  have  been  entirely  inoffensive  to  the 
"  senses  on  reaching  Joliet." 


VALUEOFTHE  ILLINOIS  AND  MICHIGAN 
CANAL  AS  A  MEANS  OF  COMMERCE. 


It  is  not  improbable  that  the  bare  mention  of  a  doubt  as  to 
whether  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  any  longer  subserves 
any  useful  purpose  as  a  means  of  commerce,  will  be  received 
with  surprise,  and  in  some  quarters,  with  derision  and  wrath. 
Nevertheless,  this  is  a  practical  age — there  is  nothing  especially 
sentimental  about  the  matter,  and  it  may  be  well  enough  to 
examine  the  facts. 

The  first  striking  fact  which  we  encounter  is,  that  the  canal 
does  not  pay  expenses. 

Second.     That  it  has  not  paid  its  expenses  since  the  year  1879. 

Third.  That  for  the  twelve  years  from  and  including  1880, 
down  to  and  including  1891,  the  aggregate  expenses  of  operating 
the  canal  have  exceeded  the  receipts  from  tolls  by  $263,829.57. 

Fourth.  That  since  1885  the  canal  has  been  supplied  with 
water  at  the  expense  of  the  city  of  Chicago;  that  for  the  three 
years  ending  December  i,  1891,  the  receipts  of  the  canal  from 
tolls  were  $169,874.57,  and  that  the  expenses  of  the  canal,  out- 
side of  the  pumping  of  water,  have  exceeded  the  receipts  from 
tolls,  in  the  sum  of  $63,322.80. 

It  further  appears  from  the  reports  of  the  commissioners  of 
Public  Works  of  Chicago,  that  for  those  three  years  it  has  cost 
the  city  of  Chicago  for  the  maintenance  and  operating  of  the 
pumping  works  at  Bridgeport  over  $70,000  annually,  or  in  exact 
figures,  $224,494.37.  If  then  we  add  the  deficit  from  tolls  for 
the  past  three  years,  to- the  cost  of  keeping  the  canal  supplied 
with  water  during  that  period  of  time,  we  have  an  actual  differ- 
ence between  the  receipts  from  tolls,  and  the  expense  of  main- 
taining the  canal  of  $287,817.17. 

Now  it  is  all  very  true  that  the  foregoing  figures  'do  not 
represent  the  actual  state  of  the  account  of  the  canal  commis- 
sioners with  the  State  of  Illinois.  It  is  true  that  the  canal  com- 
missioners have  received  large  sums  of  money  from  other  sources. 

(117) 


118  CHICAGO    IS   IN    THE    STATE    OF    ILLINOIS. 

They  have  received  large  amounts  from  leases  of  water  power, 
from  sales  of  property,  from  leases  of  land,  from  ice  leases,  and 
from  miscellaneous  sources,  and  have  thus  been  able  to  get  along 
without  using  the  appropriations  that  have  been  made  at  nearly 
every  session  of  the  Legislature  of  late  years,  to  sustain  the 
canal. 

It  may,  and  doubtless  will  be  said,  that  the  city  of  Chicago 
was  very  glad  to  do  the  pumping  for  nothing,  and  should  be  very 
thankful  that  it  was  permitted  to  dispose  of  its  sewage  in  that 
way.  That  would  all  be  very  true,  if  the  city  of  Chicago  was  a 
part  of  the  dominions  of  Great  Britain,  or  was  even  part  of 
another  State.  There  is  a  method  of  speech  somewhat  prevalent 
in  Illinois,  to  the  effect  that  the  people  of  the  State  stand  in 
antagonism  to  Chicago.  This  is  a  form  of  speech  which  does 
not  prevail  in  other  States,  or  in  other  countries,  toward  or  about 
their  greatest  city.  State  and  national  pride  elsewhere,  is 
gratified  at  the  development  of  great  cities,  but  there  are  not  a 
few  men  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  whose  political  capital  seems  to 
consist  in  malicious  disparagement  of  Chicago;  this  is  by  no 
means  general,  but  it  has  its  effect,  even  upon  those  who  would 
not  be  willing  to  acknowledge  it.  Of  course  there  is  no  room  in 
Chicago  for  such  a  feeling  toward  any  portion  of  the  State.  She 
rejoices  in  being  the  chief  city  of  a  grand  commonwealth,  and 
in  the  prosperity  of  every  part  of  it,  and  so,  as  to  the  use  of  the 
canal,  she  feels  that  as  composing  one-third  of  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  the  State,  and  as  having  infinitely  greater  interests  in  the 
canal,  than  all  other  portions  of  the  State  combined,  that  she  has 
rights  in  it.  She  feels  that  she  is  not  dealing  with  strangers,  but 
is  at  home  and  among  her  own  people.  She  recognizes  the  rule 
of  morals  and  of  law,  "to  so  use  your  own  as  not  to  injure 
another,"  and  the  recital  which  has  been  given  of  her  effort  to 
avoid  creating  a  nuisance  with  the  sewage,  shows  that  she  has 
earnestly  striven  to  meet  the  exigencies  which  her  unparalleled 
growth  has  thrust  upon  her.  No,  Chicago  eats  no  humble  pie 
for  the  use  of  the  canal,  and  no  patriotic  or  fair-minded  man 
would  suggest  that  she  should.  And  so,  the  question  as  to  the 
best,  and  so  far  as  the  people  of  the  entire  State  are  concerned, 
the  most  available  use  to  which  the  canal  can  be  put,  is  one  to 
be  considered  upon  all  sides,  and  certainly  the  question  as  to 
whether  it  pays  its  expenses,  or  whether  it  should  be  supported 
by  the  resources  of  the  State,  is  not  the  least  significant.  This 


THE    CANAL    IS    SUPPORTED    BY    THE    STATE.  119 

question  will  most  certainly  arise  when  the  expense  of  keeping 
it  supplied  with  water,  becomes  a  part  of  the  cost  of  operating 
it.  In  case  the  city  of  Chicago  should  find  other  means  for  the 
disposal  of  its  sewage,  water  must  be  furnished  at  the  expense 
of  the  people  of  the  State,  or  the  canal  be  abandoned. 

Examining  in  detail  the  resources  of  the  canal  commis- 
sioners, it  must  be  admitted  that  the  money  received  from 
leases  of  water  power,  ought  to  have  been  turned  over  to  the 
city  of  Chicago.  That  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Drainage  Act,  and 
is  so  obviously  just,  that  argument  is  unnecessary.  The  State, 
in  having  water  supplied  for  the  purpose  of  navigation,  certainly 
received  a  full  equivalent  for  the  use  of  the  canal  as  a  drainage 
channel.  Revenues  from  the  use  of  the  water  pumped  by  the 
city  of  Chicago  should  have  been  turned  over  to  the  city — it  is  not 
too  late  yet  for  the  State  to  do  an  act  of  simple  justice  in  that 
matter.  The  money  received  from  leases  and  sales  of  land,  and 
from  sales  of  clay,  etc.,  was  received  for  the  lease  or  sale  of  prop- 
erty belonging  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  the  use  of  it  was 
the  use  of  the  resources  of  the  State  of  Illinois  to  carry  on  the 
canal,  and  though  not  the  same  in  form,  it  was  the  same  in  sub- 
stance, as  if  the  money  had  been  taken  from  the  State  Treasury 
for  that  purpose. 

Of  course  there  is  room  for  the  contention  as  to  the  purposes 
for  which  the  Government  granted  those  lands.  As  we  have  seen 
in  the  brief  history  given  of  the  canal,  when  the  State  repaid  the 
city  the  expense  of  deepening  the  canal,  it  paid  out  something 
over  $700,000  more  than  up  to  that  time  had  been,  or  has  since 
been,  the  net  receipts  from  tolls  and  sales  of  canal  lands,  so  that 
properly  speaking,  those  lands,  and  the  rents  of  them,  should  be 
applied  to  reimburse  the  State. 

Withdrawing  from  the  canal  commissioners  the  receipts  from 
the  sale  of  the  surplus  water  power,  and  from  the  rents,  and 
sales  of  land  and  property,  would  add  to  the  annual  deficit  of 
the  canal  commissioners,  some  $18,000  a  year,  and  the  expense 
of  supplying  the  canal  with  water  would  be  thirty  to  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  more. 

Thus  we  have  a  plant  of  several  millions  of  dollars  in  value, 
operated  at  an  annual  loss  of  a  good  many  thousands  of  dollars, 
and  it  is  certainly  a  fair  question  to  ask,  whether  this  shall  be 
continued? 

An  examination  of  the  different  articles  of  freight  carried,  and 


120  DISPOSAL  OF   SEWAGE  EASILY  UNDERSTOOD. 

a  comparison  of  the  prices  paid  the  producers  of  the  grain 
shipped  by  the  canal,  with  the  prices  paid  to  the  producers  of 
grain  shipped  the  same  distance  by  other  means,  will  show  that 
the  former  is  no  more  than  the  latter;  and  even  if  there  were  a 
difference,  it  would  be  difficult  for  anyone  to  give  a  satisfactory 
reason  why  the  people  of  the  State  at  large  should  be  taxed  to 
pay  for  such  an  advantage. 

If  then  the  canal  is  of  no  value  as  a  means  of  commerce,  and 
is  of  great  value  for  other  purposes,  and  if  used  in  some  other 
way  may  be  of  great  benefit  to  a  far  greater  number  of  people 
than  are  benefited  by  its  present  use,  is  it  not  a  proper  question 
to  ask,  whether  such  present  use  shall  be  continued? 

METHODS    FOR    THE    DISPOSITION    OF   CHICAGO 

SEWAGE. 

The  only  pretense  of  an  effort  ever  made  to  devise  .a  system 
for  the  disposition  of  Chicago  sewage,  and  to  preserve  the  water 
supply  free  from  contamination,  is  that  contained  in  the  Herring 
report,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  was  substantially  some  loose 
generalities  upon  the  method  by  irrigation,  and  some  equally 
vague  suggestions  as  to  the  necessity  of  a  great  water-way. 

Everyone  knows  that  it  is  possible  to  dilute  the  sewage  of 
Chicago  with  water  from  Lake  Michigan  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  sewage  would  become  imperceptible.  Without  any  knowl- 
edge or  means  of  information  readily  accessible  as  to  the 
quantity  of  water  actually  necessary  for  the  proper  dilution  of 
the  sewage,  and  attention  having  been  so  uniformly  directed 
toward  a  great  water-way,  most  people  have  come  to  look  upon 
this  scheme  as  affording  the  only  solution  of  the  difficulty. 

The  advocates  of  a  great  water-way  have  thus  had  this  ad- 
vantage; their  scheme  involved  no  study  or  labor  to  understand 
it,  and  it  was  accepted  without  further  examination.  As  we  have 
seen,  no  adequate  presentation  of  its  cost  was  made,  and  the 
extent  of  the  liabilities  which  would  follow  its  execution  was  left 
entirely  in  the  background;  with  a  better  understanding  of  these 
matters,  it  is  probable  that  people  will  be  willing  to  bestow  a 
more  critical  examination  upon  other  methods  which  may  be 
suggested,  to  accomplish  the  necessary  result. 

The  disposition  of  the  sewage  of  Chicago,  like  most  other 
undertakings,  will  appear  simpler,  and  more  easy  of  accomplish- 


DILUTION  AND  SELF-PURIFICATION  OF  CHICAGO  SEWAGE.    121 

ment,  as  it  is  better  understood,  and  it  remains  now  to  apply, 
either  separately  or  in  combination,  the  theories  of  sewage  puri- 
fication which  have  been  heretofore  presented,  and  see  if  there  is 
not  a  rational  means  of  getting  rid  of  Chicago  sewage  at  a  rea- 
sonable expense. 

DISPOSAL    OF    CHICAGO    SEWAGE    BY    DILUTION    AND    SELF-PURIFI- 
CATION. 

Attention  has  been  called  to  the  self-purifying  qualities  of 
flowing  water,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  is  an  active 
and  inherent  means  of  purification,  the  only  question  being, 
whether  this  agency  is  potent  enough  to  dispose  of  the  vast  mass 
of  impurity  contained  in  the  sewage  of  Chicago,  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  that  it  shall  not  be  offensive.  The  first  point  to  be  noted 
is,  that  there  is  no  complaint,  nor  apparently  any  grounds  for 
complaint,  until  we  reach  Joliet,  a  distance  of  about  forty  miles. 
It  is  not  pretended  that  offensive  odors  arise  from  it  there  at  all 
times;  in  fact,  it  may  be  said  that  they  are  noticeable  but  a  small 
part  of  the  time.  It  would  be  more  satisfactory  if  there  were 
definite  means  of  knowledge  as  to  why  the  water  is  offensive 
part  of  the  time,  while  at  others  it  is  not.  As  the  character  of 
the  water  of  the  South  Branch,  at  the  canal  pumping  works,  is 
about  the  same,  except  during  flood  seasons,  when  the  contents 
of  the  river  are  washed  out  into  the  lake  and  the  pumps  are  idle, 
it  is  probable  that  the  annoyance  of  the  odors  at  Joliet  is  great- 
est during  dry,  hot  weather,  when  the  polluting  matter  in  the 
sewage  decomposes  more  rapidly,  and  occasions  offensive  odors 
as  the  waters  pour  over  the  dams. 

Referring  to  what  has  already  been  said,  it  is  obvious  that  if 
a  current  of  2$  miles  per  hour  can  be  established  between  Bridge- 
port and  Joliet,  and  a  permanent  flow  of  lake  water  of  considera- 
ble quantity  be  established,  the  water  would  reach  Joliet,  not  only 
in  a  condition  to  be  wholly  inoffensive,  but  comparatively  clear. 
The  reader  will  remember  the  forcible  statement  of  Dr.  Tidy, 
quoted  by  Capt.  Galton,  to  the  effect  that  with  one-seventh  of 
sewage  and  six-sevenths  of  clear  water,  and  a  current  of  two 
miles  per  hour,  not  a  trace  of  noxio'us  matter  would  be  found  at 
the  distance  of  five  miles.  The  researches  of  Baumeister  and  of 
the  Royal  Commission  on  Water  Supply  (of  London)  are,  as  has 
been  shown,  to  the  same  general  effect,  as  are  also  the  statements 
of  Dr.  Rauch,  above  quoted,  where  he  says:  "Over  one-half  the 


122  AMOUNT    OF    DILUTION    NECESSARY. 

"  sewage  pollution  disappears  before  reaching  Lockport,  twenty- 
"nine  miles  below  Bridgeport,  and  nearly  one-third  of  the 
"remainder  is  lost  in  the  next  four  miles."  This  loss  between 
Bridgeport  and  Lockport,  occurs  in  a  canal  with  a  current  of  less 
than  a  mile  an  hour.  Naturally  the  more  volatile  elements  of 
pollution  would  disappear  first,  and  one-third  of  the  more 
stubborn  remainder  disappears  between  Lockport  and  Joliet,  a 
distance  of  four  miles,  over  one-fourth  of  which  is  occupied  by 
the  still  waters  of  the  two  basins.  The  activity  and  energy  of 
self-purification  of  Chicago  sewage,  even  when  diluted  by  the 
inadequate  supply  furnished  by  the  present  pumping  works,  is 
therefore  an  established  fact.  It  will  further  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  pumping  works  now  take  all  the  sewage  with  some  addi- 
tional quantity  of  lake  water,  and  that  any  additional  supply  fur- 
nished will  come  from  the  lake;  and  further,  that  under  present 
conditions,  the  output  of  the  stock  yards,  as  indeed  also  that  of 
the  entire  city,  is  in  a  state  of  advanced  putrefaction  before  it 
reaches  the  canal,  and  is  much  less  amenable  to  the  influence  of 
self-purification  than  is  fresh  sewage. 

The  average  daily  sewage  of  Chicago  for  the  year  1891  was 
157,000,000  gallons.  The  addition  of  100,000  cubic  feet  of  water 
per  minute,  will  reduce  it  to  the  proportions  of  i  of  sewage  to  7^ 
of  clear  water.  If  the  sewage  be  taken  while  fresh,  and  a  current 
of  2^  miles  an  hour  be  established  for  forty  miles,  the  conditions 
essential  to  the  complete  purification  of  the  water  will  have  been 
far  more  than  complied  with.  It  may  be  said  that  this  is  only  a 
temporary  expedient,  and  that  the  city  will  soon  outgrow  these 
provisions.  The  reply  is: 

ist.  That  the  quantity  of  water,  velocity  of  current,  and 
distance,  are  an  ample  guaranty  that  at  least  double  trie  present 
quantity  of  sewage  would  be  purified  by  the  means  suggested. 

2d.  That  the  facts  and  figures  of  Dr.  Tidy  and  others  men- 
tioned, refer  to  European  sewage,  which  is  rated  at  from  thirty 
to  forty  gallons  per  capita  daily,  while  the  sewage  of  Chicago  is 
diluted  to  three  or  four  times  that  amount,  so  that  it  may  fairly 
be  concluded  that  the  provision  mentioned  will  be  ample  for  the 
city  of  Chicago,  long  after  it  has  passed  the  2,500,000  line  of 
population. 

The  output  of  sewage  for  1891  was  at  the  rate  of  about  14,000 
cubic  feet  per  minute;  provision  for  16,000  feet  of  sewage  per 
minute  additional,  or,  including  the  contemplated  supply  of  lake 


ROUTES    FOR    A    CHANNEL    TO    JOLIET.  123 

water,  of  130,000  cubic  feet  per  minute,  would  seem  to  be  ample 
for  any  future  requirements  necessary  to  be  provided  for.  With 
a  flow  of  2$  miles  per  hour  this  body  of  water  will  require  a 
channel  with  a  cross  section  of  600  feet,  or,  say,  a  channel  with  a 
flow  of  water  sixty  feet  wide  and  ten  feet  deep. 

There  are  three  plans  which  may  be  suggested  for  conducting 
this  stream  to  Joliet: 

ist.  To  utilize  the  entire  route  of  the  present  canal  from 
Bridgeport  to  Lockport,  sink  the  bed  of  the  canal  ten  feet  below 
Chicago  datum,  and  give  it  the  requisite  incline  to  secure  a  cur- 
rent with  the  velocity  specified  above,  abolishing  the  locks  on 
the  route,  and  leave  the  current  unobstructed.  This  plan  would 
probably  meet  with  objection  from  those  interested  in  the  main- 
tenance of  the  canal  in  its  present  condition,  as  a  means  of  navi- 
gation— its  value  as  such,  has  been  sufficiently  considered. 

As  to  the  cost  of  deepening  the  canal,  if  we  assume  $i  1,000,000, 
as  the  cost  of  excavating  a  new  channel  160  feet  wide  and  eight- 
een feet  in  depth  below  water  level,  from  Willow  Springs  to 
Lockport,  it  would  seem  as  though  one-third  of  that  amount 
would  do  the  requisite  work  on  the  canal  to  secure  the  proposed 
channel. 

ad.  Another  location  for  the  channel  would  be  to  utilize  the 
bed  of  the  Des  Plaines  River  from  the  summit  to  Lockport. 
This  could  be  done  in  two  ways:  convey  the  water  by  open  chan- 
nels or  subterranean  conduits  from  both  branches  of  the  south 
fork,  and  pump  it  up  into  the  Des  Plaines,  or  sink  the  bed  of 
the  Des  Plaines  low  enough  to  have  a  gravity  flow  of  the  required 
velocity  from  Bridgeport  to  Lockport.  This  latter  method 
would  be  more  expensive  than  the  use  of  the  canal,  as  it  would 
require  conduits  or  an  open  channel  from  the  two  branches  of 
the  river  to  the  summit.  The  water,  however,  from  the  west 
fork  could  be  taken  at  a  point  three  or  four  miles  above  the 
pumping  works  at  Bridgeport.  Two  sewers  nine  feet  in  diame- 
ter and  about  one  mile  and  a  half  long,  to  a  junction  with  the 
west  branch,  would  probably  suffice  for  the  east  branch.  The 
cost  of  excavating  the  bed  of  the  Des  Plaines  would  be  greater 
than  that  of  deepening  the  canal,  as  that  river  is  eight  feet  above 
datum  at  the  summit,  and  the  line  is  not  so  direct,  but  it  would 
have  the  advantage  over  the  use  of  the  canal,  or  of  pumping  the 
water  up  into  the  present  bed  of  the  Des  Plaines,  in  that  the  bed  of 
the  Des  Plaines  being  so  much  lower,  there  would  be  little  or  no 


124  COMBINATION    OF    ROUTES. 

likelihood  of  its  flood-waters  rushing  down  the  Ogden  ditch  and 
sweeping  the  contents  of  the  South  Branch  and  its  thirteen  slips, 
out  into  the  lake  to  contaminate  the  water  supply. 

The  cost  of  either  method  of  using  the  Des  Plaines  is  not 
entered  upon,  but  it  is  obvious  that  it  would  not  exceed  one- 
fourth  to  one-third  of  the  proposed  water-way  from  Bridgeport 
to  Lockport;  it  would  seem  as  though  two  nine-foot  sewers  from 
the  east  fork  to  the  west  fork,  and  a  sufficient  channel  excavated 
up  and  beyond  the  present  terminus  of  the  west  fork,  to  the 
summit,  and  the  channel  of  the  Des  Plaines  deepened,  all  at  an 
expense  not  exceeding  $5,000,000  to  $6,000,000. 

To  this  system  should  be  added  the  expense  of  intersecting 
the  sewers  along  the  lake  front  to  conduct  all  the  sewage  now 
emptied  into  the  lake,  into  the  east  fork,  but  these  details  are  of 
minor  importance  when  considered  in  comparison  with  the 
expenditures  which  the  proposed  water-way  would  require. 

This  use  of  the  Des  Plaines  River  will  render  it  unnecessary 
to  do  further  pumping  into  the  canal.  What  the  latter  will  be 
worth  when  the  city  ceases  to  supply  it  with  water,  may  be  left 
to  conjecture. 

3d.  There  is  practicable,  a  combination  of  these  two  plans, 
that  is  to  say,  the  city  might  enlarge  its  plant  at  Bridgeport  and 
pump  seventy  or  eighty  thousand  cubic  feet  per  minute,  and  sub- 
terranean conduits  be  extended  from  the  east  fork  to  the  west 
fork,  the  latter  continued  on  to  the  summit,  and  some  forty  or 
fifty  thousand  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute  pumped  into  the 
Des  Plaines  at  that  point. 

The  objection  to  this  plan  is,  that  the  water  of  the  South 
Branch,  as  a  source  of  supply  to  the  canal,  and  kept  at  the  slug- 
gish motion  necessary  to  a  canal,  will  not  become  purified  as  it 
would  with  a  more  rapid  current,  and  is  likely  to  leave  open  a 
chance  for  complaint  by  the  people  of  Joliet.  Whether  they 
would  find  sufficient  advantage  in  the  continued  existence  of  the 
canal,  to  compensate  them  for  any  unpleasantness  arising  from 
its  polluted  water,  is  a  matter  upon  which  they  will  perhaps  have 
an  opportunity  to  express  an  opinion. 

DISPOSAL    OF   CHICAGO    SEWAGE    BY    PRECIPITATION. 

While  it  seems  to  be  established  that  the  presence  of  excre- 
mentitious  matter  in  sewage  does  not  affect  the  general  character 


DISPOSAL    BY    PRECIPITATION.  125 

of  the  sewage  of  a  city,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  quantity 
considered,  it  is  one  of  the  most  potent  elements  of  pollution. 

The  first  ward  of  Chicago  comprises  all  that  portion  of  the 
south  side  of  the  city  lying  north  of  Twelfth  Street,  and  in  1890 
contained  a  population  of  24,000.  In  addition  to  its  resident 
population,  the  great  hotels,  restaurants,  office  buildings  of  the 
city,  and  various  minor  industries  are  located  in  that  ward. 
Three  sewers  empty  into  the  main  stem  of  the  river,  and  there 
is  a  sewer  emptying  into  the  South  Branch  at  nearly  every  street 
running  toward  the  river,  from  Lake  Street  up  to  FJalsted  Street 
bridge,  a  distance  of  about  three  miles.  It  may  be  fairly  esti- 
mated that  including  the  traveling  public  stopping  at  the  hotels, 
the  first  ward  has  a  population  during  the  day  of  400,000  people, 
and  the  excrementitious  matter  of  that  population,  contributing 
to  the  sewage  of  the  first  ward,  with  the  other  sources  of  pollution, 
may  be  said  to  constitute  a  volume  of  polluting  matter  in  excess 
of  that  of  any  six  residence  wards  in  the  city. 

It  must  not  be  understood,  however,  that  the  volume  of 
sewage  from  the  first  ward  is  increased  in  any  proportion  to  the 
number  of  people  to  be  found  there  during  the  day.  Ten  gal- 
lons per  capita  daily,  would  probably  cover  the  average  amount 
of  sewage  of  the  transitory  population.  The  character  of  the 
sewage  from  the  stock  yards  has  already  been  sufficiently 
described. 

If,  then,  a  system  of  sewers  be  constructed  by  which  the  sew- 
age of  the  South  Side,  and  of  the  stock  yards  can  be  collected 
and  disposed  of  without  entering  the  river  or  canal,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  sewage  question  of  Chicago  will  be  disposed  of  for  an 
indefinite  time  to  come. 

Such  a  system  is  entirely  practicable.  An  intersecting  sewer 
starting  from  the  corner  of  Michigan  Avenue  and  South  Water 
Street,  and  thence  west  to  the  river  at  the  foot  of  Market  Street, 
and  thence  along  Market  Street  and  up  the  river  as  near  its 
bank  as  practicable  to  Halsted  Street,  taking  up  the  contents  of 
all  the  sewers  in  its  course;  extending  thence  along  Halsted 
Street  due  south  to  Fortieth  Street,  taking  up  at  this  point  the 
entire  sewage  discharge  of  the  stock  yards,  thence  east  to  the 
Fort  Wayne  tracks,  thence  along  said  tracks  to  their  crossing  of 
Stony  Island  Avenue,  with  another  trunk  sewer  commencing  at 
Twelfth  Street,  and  thence  south  to  Madison  Park  Station,  and 
thence  down  along  Stony  Island  Avenue,  taking  up  the  outputs 


126  SYSTEM    OF    INTERSECTING    SEWERS. 

of  the  various  sewers  now  emptying  into  Lake  Michigan,  would 
accomplish  the  desired  result.  At  Stony  Island  Avenue,  the  two 
systems  would  join  and  be  extended  south  to  some  of  the  sandy 
lands  lying  east  of  Lake  Calumet,  where  precipitating  works 
might  be  erected,  from  whence  the  effluent  could  flow  into  the 
Calumet  River. 

The  district  of  territory  drained  by  this  system  comprises  the 
first,  second,  third,  fourth,  fifth  and  all  that  portion  of  the  sixth 
ward  lying  east  of  Halsted  Street,  all  of  the  thirty-second  ward, 
and  the  north  half  of  the  thirty-fourth  ward — a  district  of  terri- 
tory which  contained  in  1890  about  200,000  people. 

Such  a  system  of  sewers  constructed  with  reference  to  the 
wants  of  a  population  of  500,000,  can  probably  be  built  for 
$2,500,000.  That  portion  of  the  system  for  taking  up  the  sew- 
age now  emptying  into  the  lake,  or  some  equivalent  for  it,  must 
be  constructed  in  any  event. 

The  quantity  of  land  necessary  would  depend  upon  whether 
the  sludge  was  pressed,  or  was  dried  out  sufficiently  in  sludge 
beds.  In  the  former  case  forty  acres  of  land  would  be  sufficient. 
By  the  latter  method,  probably  some  300  acres  would  be  necessary. 
Land  in  that  neighborhood  is  said  to  have  a  value  of  from  $1,500 
to  $2,000  per  acre. 

Tank  capacity  could  be  added  as  occasion  required,  but 
undertaking,  in  the  first  instance,  to  make  provision  for  the  dis- 
position of  the  sewage  of  a  population  of  300,000  at  the 
estimated  rate  of  120  gallons  of  sewage  per  capita  daily,  we 
have  36,000,000  gallons  of  sewage.  The  works  at  Worcester, 
Mass.,  cost  about  $56,000  and  are  adequate  to  the  treatment  of 
4,000,000  gallons  of  sewage  daily.  Roughly  estimating  the  cost 
of  the  works  to  be  built  at  nine  times  the  cost  of  those  at  Wor- 
cester, we  may  place  their  cost  at  $500,000. 

The  necessary  incline  of  the  proposed  system  of  sewers,  if 
continuous  from  the  corner  of  Michigan  Avenue  and  South 
Water  Street,  will  bring  the  discharge  outlet  some  thirty  to 
thirty-five  feet  below  datum,  and  the  sewage  will  have  to  be 
raised  at  least  ten  feet  above  that  level.  It  is  probable  that  it 
would  be  found  advantageous  to  erect  a  small  pumping-station 
at  the  corner  of  Halsted  and  Fortieth  streets,  to  raise  the  sewage 
at  that  point  to  a  higher  level,  in  which  event  the  discharge  out- 
let of  the  system  would  not  be  more  than  twenty  to  twenty-five 


COST    OF    SEWERS    AND    PRECIPITATING    WORKS.  127 

feet  below  datum.     The  expense  of  the  two  pumping  plants  is 
estimated  as  not  exceeding  $300,000. 

Recapitulating,  we  have  then  for  cost  of  the  entire  works: 

Sewers $2,500,000 

Forty  acres  of  land  at  $1,750  per  acre 70,000 

Construction  of  precipitating  works 500,000 

Engines,  pumps,  etc 300,000 

Total $3,370,000 

The  expense  of  operating  the  precipitating  plant  is  found  to 
be  about  40  cents  per  capita  per  annum  at  Worcester,  and  the 
expense  would  probably  not  be  greater  for  the  treatment  of 
Chicago  sewage,  which  for  a  population  of  300,000  would  make 
the 

Annual  expense $i  20,000 

The  annual  expense  of  pumping  the  sew- 
age to  the  level  of  the  precipitation 
tanks  may  be  put  at. 50,000 


Making  the  annual  expenses $170,000 

There  can  be  no  possible  question  as  to  the  adaptation  of  the 
system  of  sewage  disposal  by  precipitation  to  the  necessities  of 
the  South  Town  and  of  the  stock  yards,  and  that  with  its  adop- 
tion, in  connection  with  the  operation  of  the  canal  pumping 
works  as  now  existing  at  Bridgeport,  all  ground  for  complaint  at 
Joliet,  or  elsewhere  down  the  river,  would  be  obviated  for  an 
indefinite  period  in  the  future,  if  not  for  all  time. 

If,  however,  there  should  be  reason  for  complaint  at  some 
remote  period  in  the  future,  a  remedy  could  be  immediately 
found  at  a  moderate  expense,  by  either  of  the  methods  mentioned 
under  the  title  of  Dilution  and  Self-purification,  or  a  portion  of 
the  sewage  of  the  west  side  of  the  city  be  taken  to  the  Des 
Plaines  and  purified  at  that  point  by  precipitation. 

It  has  been  repeatedly  urged  that  the  polluting  element  of 
Chicago  sewage,  arising  from  the  stock  yards,  packing  houses,  etc., 
should  be  cared  for  by  those  making  it,  as  it  is  caused  by  purely 
private  enterprises.  There  is  certainly  force  in  the  suggestion, 
but  after  all,  Chicago  owes  its  growth  and  development  to  pri- 
vate enterprises,  and  if  the  principle  is  a  correct  one,  there  seems 
no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  applied  to  every  manufacturing 
establishment  in  the  city.  It  is  apparent  that  the  principle  is  not 
one  of  universal  application  to  its  fullest  extent,  but  it  may  be 


128  THE    FLOOD    WATERS    OF    THE    DES    PLA1NES. 

urged  with  reason,  that  the  stock  yards  and  the  industries  located 
there,  should  contribute  more  than  their  quota,  as  raised  by  tax- 
ation, to  do  away  with  the  evil.  Some  years  ago,  the  people 
interested  there,  signified  their  willingness  to  contribute  liberally 
to  aid  in  carrying  out  a  satisfactory  system;  it  is  not  probable 
that  there  has  been  any  change  in  their  views  on  that  subject; 
at  any  rate,  the  justice  of  such  action  on  their  part  is  so  obvious, 
that  their  co-operation,  both  as  to  the  construction  of  the  plant 
and  in  the  cost  of  its  maintenance,  may  be  reasonably  expected. 

The  adoption  of  any  system  other  than  that  of  deepening  the 
Des  Plaines  from  the  summit  to  Lockport,  leaves  the  water  sup- 
ply of  the  city  subject  to  contamination  whenever  the  Des 
Plaines  pours  over  the  dam  and  down  through  the  Ogden  ditch. 
The  scheme  of  the  great  water-way  does  not  obviate  this  diffi- 
culty. It  may  be  said,  however,  that  with  the  removal  of  the 
sewage  of  the  South  Town  and  of  the  stock  yards,  that  the 
waters  of  the  South  Branch  would  be  comparatively  clear. 

Recent  experiences  of  the  freshets  of  May  and  June,  1892, 
indicate  strongly  enough,  however,  that  even  under  such  improved 
conditions,  the  water  supply  of  Chicago  will  be  unfit  to  drink, 
whenever  the  surface  waters  of  the  territory  drained  by  the  Des 
Plaines  River,  carry  the  contents  of  the  Chicago  River  out  into 
the  lake.  To  what  extent  this  might  be  obviated  by  the  con- 
struction of  such  works  along  the  bank  of  the  Des  Plaines  oppo- 
site the  south  end  of  the  Ogden  ditch  as  would  prevent,  or  at 
least  hinder  such  overflow,  is  worth  serious  consideration. 

It  is  within  the  observation  of  every  one,  however,  that  our 
water  supply  becomes  polluted  by  the  agitation  of  the  waters  of 
the  lake  when  there  is  no  discharge  from  the  Chicago  River.  The 
causes  of  .such  contamination  have  heretofore  been  indicated,  a 
very  material  one  being  the  dumping  of  scows,  loaded  with  sludge 
taken  from  the  bottom  of  the  river,  into  the  lake. 

There  is  an  ordinance  prohibiting  such  work  within  what  is 
supposed  to  be  a  safe  distance  from  any  of  the  intakes  of  the 
water  supply,  but  when  it  is  understood  that  this  dredging  work 
is  done  by  private  contract;  that  the  city  supervision  over  the 
dumping  of  sewage  has  not  been  very  stringent;  that  the  cost  of 
towing  mud-laden  scows  is  very  considerable,  the  probabilities 
in  favor  of  a  violation  of  the  ordinance  are  not  very  remote. 
The  present  arrangement  is  unsatisfactory,  because,  first,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  a  city  ordinance  would  be  operative  on  the 


CHOICE    OF    METHODS.  129 

lake;  second,  whether  the  dumping  ground  is  far  enough  away, 
and  third,  the  penalty  should  be  greater  than  the  city  can  inflict. 

The  possibility  that  the  water  supply  of  Chicago  may  be  con- 
taminated through  such  means,  ought  not  to  exist.  The  contents 
of  those  scows,  if  taken  to  the  lake  at  all,  should  be  taken  far 
enough  away  to  remove  all  possibility  of  affecting  the  water 
supply  of  Chicago. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  any  opinion  should  be  expressed  as 
to  which  of  the  foregoing  methods  for  the  disposition  of  Chicago 
sewage  should  be  adopted.  The  method  by  use  of  the  canal  is 
the  cheapest;  that  by  deepening  the  bed  of  the  Des  Plaines  is 
the  most  effective,  while  that  by  precipitation  is  the  most  inde- 
pendent. The  last  method  requires  an  annual  expenditure,  but 
is,  perhaps,  on  the  whole  as  desirable  as  either  of  the  plans  that 
have  been  suggested.  Now  that  the  idea  has  been  suggested  of 
the  city  of  Chicago  paying  for  property  destroyed  by  floods  in 
the  Illinois  River  Valley; it  will  not  be  readily  given  up  by  the  peo- 
ple down  there,  and  the  same  reasons  which  have  been  urged 
against  creating  a  flow  of  300,000  cubic  feet  per  minute  operate, 
though  of  course  in  a  much  less  degree,  against  the  creation  of 
an  additional  flow  of  100,000  cubic  feet  a  minute,  and  is  a  cogent 
reason  why  the  system  of  sewage  disposal  by  precipitation  above 
suggested,  is  the  most  desirable. 

CONCLUSION. 

The  subject  of  the  drainage  and  water  supply  of  Chicago 
has  been  reviewed  at  very  considerable,  and  what  to  many  will 
even  appear  unnecessary  length.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind, 
however,  that  as  the  matter  now  stands,  the  people  of  the  State 
of  Illinois  must  understand  i't.  Those  among  them  who  will 
consider  these  questions,  and  be  called  upon  to  act,  are  not  so 
engrossed  in  politics,  market  reports,  base-ball  and  horse-racing 
news,  or  domestic  scandals,  as  not  to  be  anxious  to  examine 
carefully  everything  which  will  throw  light  on  this  grave  subject, 
and  they  are  neither  unwilling  to  make  the  necessary  effort,  nor 
incapable  of  so  doing.  It  is  hoped  that  it  has  been  presented 
with  sufficient  clearness  to  be  understood  by  any  man  of  ordinary 
understanding. 

It  has  been  shown  that  it  is  entirely  practicable  to  do  away 
with  the  sewage  nuisance,  both  as  to  the  water  supply  and 


130  CONCLUSION. 

to  the  people  down  the  river,  at  what  is,  relatively  speaking, 
a  trifling  expense.  If  the  matter  had  been  approached  intelli- 
gently in  1887  the  correction  of  existing  evils  would  have 
been  long  since  accomplished.  The  matter  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  charlatans,  empirics,  and  self-seekers,  and  we  find 
ourselves  at  the  end  of  5^  years,  and  after  the  expendi- 
ture of  $500,000,  vastly  worse  off  than  when  we  started.  We 
find  ourselves  hampered  by  the  provisions  of  an  atrocious  law, 
and  threatened  not  only  with  the  burden  of  taxation  arising 
from  the  useless  expenditure  of  thirty  to  forty  millions  of  dol- 
lars, but  with  annual  liabilities  for  damages  which  no  man  can 
estimate,  and  for  law-suits  without  number. 

The  outlook  is  not  pleasant,  but  it  is  not  desperate.  The 
presentation  of  this  matter  to  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois 
in  its  true  light  will  insure  relief.  They  are  too  intelligent  and 
too  just  to  insist  that  Chicago  shall  carry  out  the  provisions  of 
the  Drainage  Act;  it  is  only  necessary  that  the  people  of 
Chicago  shall  take  a  decided  stand  in  the  matter. 

Years  ago,  when  Tweed  was  stealing  millions  of  dollars  annu- 
ally from  New  York  City,  the  New  York  Times  came  into 
possession  of  the  accounts,  and  published  them.  While  the  pub- 
lication was  going  on,  some  of  Tweed's  guilty  associates  rushed 
to  him  in  consternation,  and  asked  what  should  be  done.  Tweed 
treated  the  matter  lightly,  declared  that  nothing  would  come  of 
it,  and  said:  "The  people  of  New  York  will  never  pay  any 
"  attention  to  it,  as  long  as  they've  got  a  dollar."  They  did 
pay  attention  to  it.  Tweed  died  in  the  penitentiary,  some  of  his 
associates  went  with  him  to  prison,  others  fled  into  exile. 

Shall  Tweed's  estimate  of  the  people  of  New  York  prove  true 
when  applied  to  the  people  of  Chicago? 


INDEX. 

Page 

AIR  IN  WATER 112 

Report  of  London  Commission  on  effect  of 113 

ALLEN,  CHARLES   A.,  city  engineer  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  is 

sent  to  Europe 105 

Report  of,  on  irrigation  works  at  Pullman,  111 103 

Report  of,  on  foreign  sewage  disposal  works 104 

Report  of,  on  results  at  Worcester,  Mass 106 

Letters  of,  on  disposal  of  sludge 104 

Letters  of,  on  construction  of  works 107 

ANALYSIS  of  polluted  water  useless 98 

English  scientists  on 99 

Of  waters  of  Illinois  for  State  Board  of  Health 97 

ATTORNEYS'  FEES  to  be  paid  by  Drainage  Board 73 

BAUMEISTER,  work  of,  praised  by  Herring 4 

On  quantity  of  sewage  in  cities 13 

On  quantity  of  rainfall  entering  sewers 14 

On  elements  of  sewage . 17 

On  self-purification  of  rivers 113 

BAZALGETTE,  SIR  J.,  on  effect  of  storm  water 15 

BERLIN,  amount  of  sewage  from  different  districts  in 13 

Irrigation  works  of. 102 

BIRMINGHAM,  precipitating  works  at 104 

BRADFORD,  ENGLAND,  precipitating  works  at 104,108 

CANALS,  in  Ohio  and  Indiana^ 80 

CANAL,  New  York  and  Erie,  unprofitable 80 

CANAL,  Illinois  and  Michigan,  history  of 21 

Deepened  by  city  of  Chicago.. 22 

Pumping  works  for  at  Bridgeport 23 

Neglect  to  keep  the  channel  clear 25 

Not  to  be  used  outside  of  Cook  County 36 

As  a  regulator  of  rates 81 

Financial  history  of,  for  eleven  years 117 

Use  of  by  Chicago  for  drainage  purposes 118 

Is  maintained  by  the  State 119 

(131) 


132  INDEX. 

Page 

CHICAGO  CITY,  map  of 8 

Boundaries  of . . 9 

Sewage  system  of . . 10 

Water  supply,  quantity  of.. 12 

Sewage,  quantity  of 12 

Rainfall,  amount  of  in 13 

Sewage  of,  character  of. . . 15 

Canal  deepened  by 22 

Pumping  works  at  Bridgeport  built  by. 23 

Efforts  of  to  dispose  of  sewage 25 

Distances  from  by  rail  and  river 87 

CHICAGO  RIVER,  description  of 19 

Only  source  of  supply  to  water-way 63 

Capacity  of „ 64 

Engineer  Williams  on  current  in 66 

Capt.  Dunham  on  current  in 67 

Lake  line  agents  on  current  in 68 

Artingstall  on  capacity  of 68 

Capt.  Marshall  on  current  in 69 

Radical  changes  in  to  supply  water-way 70 

CHICAGO  SEWAGE,  quantity  of 12 

Character  of 15 

Elimination  of  question  as  to  .... 97 

Methods  for  disposal  of 120 

COOLEY,  L.  E.,  assistant  engineer  to  Herring. 28 

On  cost  of  Herring's  commission. .    .      . 30 

February  i,  1890,  elected  chief  engineer  of  Drainage 

Board  ... 44 

February  6,  1890,  directed  to  collect  information 44 

February  8,  1890,  states  that  two  years  will  be  neces- 
sary for  engineering  work  before  actual  work 

can  begin 44 

February  15,  1890,  desires  this  position  embodied  in 

the  minutes  of  the  Board 45 

February  15,  1890,  is  directed  to  procure  staff  for  work  45 
February  15,  1890,  states  difficulties  and  "continues 

at  large" _  45 

March  i,  1890,  is  instructed  to  report . 45 

March  i,  1890,  asks  for  time.. 46 

June  18,  1890,  is  directed  to  make  certain  surveys 46 

July  26,  1890,  committee  appointed  to  supervise 46 


INDEX.  133 

Page 

COOLEY,  L.  E.,  September  9,  1890,  is  directed  to  report  in 

thirty  days _ 46,  47 

October  15,  1890,  singular  letter  from 47 

November  7,  1890,  report  of  committee  censuring  his 

delay --47~49 

November  26,  1890,  directed  to  confine  his  work 49,  50 

November  26,  1890,  directed  to  surrender  papers 50 

November  26,  1 890,  is  discharged 51 

Fritters  away  time  in  useless  detail 51 

Has  a  "  policy  "  not  in  harmony  with  the  trustees 52 

Opposes  amendment  of  Drainage  Act.. 53 

Proposed  to  spend  $5,000  or  $6,000  for  analysis  of 

water  of  the  South  Branch 98 

CRIMP,  extracts  from  work  of 100,  108 

DATUM,  Chicago,  what  is 93 

DES  PLAINES  RIVER,  effect  of  overflow  of  on  Chicago  River  n 

Effect  of  overflow  of  at  Joliet 6 1 

Description  of  from  Summit  to  Joliet 93 

DRAINAGE  wanted,  not  a  water-way,  by  the  people 95 

The  real  question  involved  in 97 

DRAINAGE  ACT,  authors  of 34 

Various  provisions  examined 34  to  43 

A  law  for  a  water-way  only 43 

Effort  to  amend 53 

Reasons  of  failure  to  amend 54 

DRAINAGE  BOARD. 

Members  of  have  no  personal  responsibility. 35 

A  secret  body 35 

An  extravagant  body 35 

Expenditures  of  to  August  1,1892 35 

Should  be  abolished 35 

Not  to  use  the  canal  outside  of  Cook  County.. 36 

May  be  harassed  with  suits  in  unfriendly  localities. .  37 

Efforts  to  carry  out  the  law 44  to  50 

Cooley  constantly  urged  to  greater  activity  by.  .44  to  50 
Appoints  a  committee  to  see  that  the  engineer  obeys 

the  orders  of  the  Board 46 

Directs  the  engineer  to  confine  his  labors. 49,  50 

Directs  engineer  to  deliver  up  documents 50 

Apprehensions  of  as  to  property .49,  52 

Changes  in  membership  of 54,  55 


134  INDEX. 

Page 

DRAINAGE  BOARD. 

Reasons  for  present  hurried  movement  of .55,  56 

Deceptive  propositions  of  for  drainage  work 57 

Must  pay  plaintiffs'  attorney  fees 73 

DUNHAM,  CAPT.,  on  river  navigation 67 

ENGINEERING  PROBLEM,  simplicity  of .93 

Great  amount  expended  on  by  Drainage  Board 94 

Amount  expended  on  by  Capt.  Marshall 94 

Befogged  intentionally 29,  51,  99 

Williams  has  six  routes  for  channel . 65 

FLOODS  in  Illinois  River  Valley 74 

FULLERTON  AVENUE  CONDUIT,  length  and  cost  of 62 

HEALTH  OF  PUBLIC. 

Not  affected  by  sewage  in  neighboring  rivers 100 

HERRING,  RUDOLPH. 

Employment  of  by  city  on  the  drainage  question 27 

Directions  to  as  to  scope  of  investigations 27 

Employer  and  assistants  water-way  men 28 

His  report  a  water-way  report 28  to  30 

Report  of  worthless  as  a  discussion  of  the  drainage 

question .28  to  30 

HURD,  HARVEY  B.,  residence  at  Evanston 34 

Opposes  amendment  of  the  Drainage  Act 53 

ILLINOIS  RIVER,  description  of  by  Capt.  Marshall 72 

Length  and  width  of 37,  73 

Tributaries  of 73 

Quantity  of  land  overflowed  by .  1 -  -  73,  86 

Accounts  of  damage  by  floods  of ..74  to  79 

INDIANA,  damage  to  lands  in  by  dam  in  Calumet  River 22 

IRRIGATION,  disposal  of  sewage  by  works  of,  where 102 

Effects  of  cold  weather  on  works  at  Pullman,  111. .    .      103 

JOLIET,  necessity  of  protecting  walls  at 60  to  62 

JURIES,  in  damage  cases.. 37 

LAKES,  transportation  on,  size  of  vessels,  etc . .     83 

LAKE  LINE  AGENTS,  on  navigation  of  Chicago  River 68 

LAKE  MICHIGAN,  contamination  of .. 10 

LAKE  VESSELS,  capacity  of 83 

LEEDS,  precipitating  works  at 104 

LEGISLATIVE  COMMISSION  OF  1887 32 

Scope  of  the  commission,  make  no  report 32 

Do  not  examine  questions  committed  to  them ..     32 


INDEX.  135 

Page 

LEGISLATIVE  COMMISSION  OF  1887,  attend  meeting  at  Peoria,  32 

Meeting  at  City  Hall  and  character  of 33 

LEGISLATURE,  Act  of  1865 22 

Joint  resolutions  of 23 

LIME,  quantity  of  necessary  for  precipitation  of  sewage.  107,  109 

LONDON,  sewage  of  empties  into  the  Thames 98 

Water  supply  of 98 

Commission  to  examine  water  supply  of 98 

MARSHALL,  C APT.  W.  L.,  career  of. 4 

On  allowable  current  in  Chicago  River 69 

Description  of  Illinois  River  by 72 

Upon  flooding  Illinois  River  bottom  lands 86 

Reports  against  action  by  the  United  States 85 

Time  and  cost  of  survey  of  water-way  by 94 

MISSISSIPPI  RIVER,  character  of  boats  on 85,  87 

Decline  of  traffic  on,  as  shown  by  letters 88 

Report  of  United  States  Commissioner  of  Navigation 

showing  decline  in  boat  building 89 

NEW  YORK  AND  ERIE  CANAL,  decline  of  traffic  on 80 

PRECIPITATION  OF  SEWAGE 103 

Works  for  in  England 104 

Results  from  in  England 105  to  112 

Works  for  at  Worcester,  Mass 106 

Cost  per  capita  per  annum  in  England 104 

Cost  per  capita  per  annum  in  Worcester 107 

Societies  of  Arts  upon 108 

Report  of  Royal  Commission  on 108 

PULLMAN,  irrigation  works  at  in  cold  weather.    103 

RAILROADS,  transportation  by 81 

RAINFALL,  quantity  of  in  Chicago 13 

Effect  of  on  sewers 14 

ROCK-CUT,  useless  requirement  of  in  the  Drainage  Act 40 

SELF-PURIFICATION  OF  WATER 112 

London  Commission  on.. 113 

Baumeister  on 114 

Dr.  Tidy  on 115 

Dr.  Rauch  on 115 

Of  the  River  Nebel 115 

Retarded  by  putrefaction  of  sewage 114 

SEWAGE,  quantity  of  Chicago 12 

In  European  cities 13 


136  INDEX. 

Pago 

SEWAGE,  effect  of  storm  water  on 13 

Character  of  Chicago 15 

From  the  stock  yards,  nature  of 16 

Effect  of  excrementitious  matter  on —     17 

Of  Chicago  collected  in  South  Branch 20 

Putrefaction  of 20 

Effect  of  putrefaction  of 114 

Disposal  of  by  irrigation . . 102 

Disposal  of  by  precipitation 103 

Disposal  of  by  water-way  requires  no  study . ...    120 

Dilution  and  self-purification  of 121 

Precipitation  of  Chicago  sewage —   124 

System  of  intersecting  sewers  for 125 

SEWAGE  OF  CHICAGO,  quantity  of 12 

Quantity  per  capita  daily 12 

Character  of 15 

Effect  of  on  public  health 97 

Methods  of  disposing  of 120 

SEWERS,  system  of  in  Chicago —      10 

Size  of  in  Europe 13 

Intersecting  system  proposed. .    125 

SLUDGE,  dumped  into  Lake  Michigan 11,128 

Wash  of  into  the  lake IT 

Deposit  of  in  the  canal 22 

Value  of  as  a  fertilizer 104,  1 1 1 

STATE  BOARD  OF  HEALTH,  preliminary  report  of 97 

Useless  analysis  of  polluted  waters  by 98,99 

STEAMBOATS  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI,  character  of 85,  87,  89 

Decline  in  traffic  by .     88 

Decline  in  building  of 89 

Capacity  of  lake 83 

STOCKYARDS,   sewage  from 16 

Contribution  by  to  abate  nuisance... 128 

SUITS,  where  may  be  brought.. 37>  73 

Character  of  juries  to  try 37 

Attorneys  fees  recovered  from  Drainage  Board 73 

THAMES  RIVER,  district  drained  by 98 

Commission  to  examine  waters  of 98 

Analysis  of  waters  of  valueless 99 

Sewage  discharge  into  no  effect  upon  health 100 

TRANSPORTATION,  State  aid  for,  when  justifiable 90 


INDEX.  137 

Page 

WATER-POWER  FROM  WATER-WAY,  useless 42 

Drainage  Board  can  not  build  works  for 42 

WATER   SUPPLY  OF  CHICAGO 12 

Contamination    of 10, 128 

WATER-WAYS,  artificial,  in  general,  value  of 80 

As  regulators  of  rates 81 

WATER-WAYS,  DEEP  WATER  NATURAL _  83 

WATER-WAY,  under  the  Drainage  Act,  canal  not  to  be  used 

for 36 

Unnecessary  size  of 38 

Sewage  may  not  be  allowed  in.. 39 

Useless  rock-cut  for 40 

Prejudiced   commissioners  to  decide  upon 41 

Ends  in  a  tail-race 42,58 

Willow  Springs  to  Section  14,  cost  of 57 

Work  on  not  all  submitted  to  bids 59 

Underestimate  of  cost  of  by  engineers 57 

specifications  for  bids,  character  of 57 

Subsidiary  works,  list  of.. 60 

Summary  of  cost  of 71 

Capt.  Marshall  on  cost  of  . 85 

Surveyed  by  Capt.  Marshall 94 

Capt.  Marshall  on  flooding  to  be  caused  by 7  2,  86 

Effect  of  on  Chicago  as  a  grain  market 84 

Engineering  problem  of 93,  94 

WENTER,  drainage  commissioner,  member  of  committee  on 

engineering 46 

September  9,  1890,  votes  against  resolution  that  engi- 
neer file  report  in  thirty  days 47 

November  7,  1890,  votes  against  adoption  of  report 

on  Cooley 49 

November  26,  1890,  votes  against  order  for  engineer 

to  confine  his  work 49,  50 

December  10,  1890,  votes  against  order  for  engineer 

to  surrender  documents 50 

July  22,  1891,  votes  against  employment  of   men  to 

locate  route 56 

WILLIAMS,  BENZETTE,  on  Chicago  sewage 15 

Report  of  on  Bridgeport  pumps 24 

Appointed  consulting  engineer  on  Herring  commis- 
sion    27 


138  INDEX. 

Page 

WILLIAMS,  BENZETTE,  has  a  "  policy" 31 

Opposes  amendment  of  Drainage  Act 53 

Resides  on  Salt  Creek 34 

Appointed  chief  engineer 55 

Inadequate  estimates  of 57>  62 

Has  six  routes  for  channel 65 

On  navigation  of  Chicago  River 66 

WORCESTER,  MASS.,  precipitating  works  at 106 

WORTHEN,  made  chief  engineer 52 

Reports  of 52 

Recommends  thirty-six  foot  iron  cylinder  at  Joliet..  62 


TJ> 
526 
c£ 
3*33 


